Curiosity
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: "You interest me, Kurosaki Ichigo." Those were her words. Fascination develop's into obssession, and obssession, into lust and lust, into love. And this Love, will change Ichigo Kurosaki forever. In more ways than one. IchigoxHalibel, possibly with some IchigoxNel. Fluff, violence, language. Review please!
1. Prolouge: You're Dead

So _this_ was a shinigami's bankai.

He leapt out of the pillar, spraying wave upon wave of reiatsu out before him. She could see the edges of his outfit, which were now ragged and torn, and his attire was more form fitting.

But midway through the increase as he ascended...

His power _changed_.

It became dark and sinister and suddenly seemed to permeate the very air, saturating it with reaitsu, suffocating anyone who wasn't strong enough to withstand the prescence of such a malignant energy.

His energy was wild and rough now, constantly increasing, as if it had no limit.

Unperturbed as ever, Ulquoirra just stared up at the pillar with mild interest, hands in his pockets the hem of his robes flapping wildly about.

"Bankai?"

Through the light, Ichigo's face was suddenly revealed, as was the rest of him.

She could barely make him out from this distance, as he was now incrediby high up, practically touching the ceiling.

His giant zanpaktou now appeared to be smaller, and a long katana with a chain at its hilt....

Wait... what was that...

On his face?

As if her vision suddenly zoomed in...

She saw it.

_The mask._

His warm brown eyes were now yellow irises, and the whites of those eyes were now a pitch blac color. She could still see his orange hair, as the mask only covered his face and chin...

Still, she shivered as watery growl escaped him.

His left hand briefly rested on the flat of his blade, whilst the right held its hilt in a deathgrip.

Raising it up, he now seized its grip with both hands, twisting it around as he did so...

Dark red black light began to swirl about him, in a crescent like shape that spun, even as the power built.

She idly thought it looked as if a miniature typhoon was hovering in the air, just _waiting _to come down and wreak its carnage.

And _down_ it came!

**_"KYAH!"_**

She had a second to get brace her feet from her cover, as with a _scream _Ichigo swung!

He came hurtling down, a bolt of black light, hell bent on Ulquiorra's death!

He moved with _incredible _speed!

One moment he was hovering in the air-

The next, he veritably _slammed_ into the Espada, who somehow got a hand up to _block_ the attack!

The earth quaked and she was nearly blown away in the resulting gale.

The black light thinned a bit to reveal Ichigo, who was straining against the lone appendage with all his considerable strength, cracking and shattering the hard floor beneath their feet, the pressure of his reaitsu disintegrating those shards mere moments later.

She found her own eyes narrowing, as Ulquiorra looked...

_Surprised._

The ground, previously untouched where the arrancar stood, suddenly crumbed beneath his feet, in spiderweb cracks, then it just flat out crumbled.

**_"RAAAAAGH!"_**

Swinging hard, he somehow managed to use enough force to get Ulquiorra _off _the ground, and into the air, carried up by the red wave he flung!

Mild annoyance reflecting upon his visage, the silent arrancar swatted the blast away with his arm...

However, he had forgotten to take his momentum into account.

As a result of pushing _off _the blast, he collided with a pillar, the impact shattering it, as he passed through.

**_"GET BACK HERE!"_**

An enraged Ichigo suddenly appeared before him, and swung _again _batting Ulquiorra through another pillar, as he blocked the blade with his forearm again.

But Ulquiorra was far from done.

He went through about three more, backfirst, before he finally took action. As he approached the fourth pillar, he flipped himself in the air, and landed against the it feetfirst. Pushing off it, he left a small crater as he shot forward...

A crater which soon lengthened to turn the entire pillar to dust.

Time seemed to slow as she watched him speed back toward Ichigo, roundhousing the ryoka hard across the face...

Or rather, he would have, had Ichigo not Shunpoed back a step, landing on the ground.

Already he was building up for another swing, growling as he did so...

But as she watched, she could easily see that this one had more force behind it.

_Much more._

With agonizing slowness, he began to bring it back....

Black light again shown from his zanpaktou.

**_"You're finished!"_**

The entire floor crumbled when he spoke the name of his attack, and his eyes glinted with murderous intent!

**_"Getsuga Tenshou!"_**

What happened next was _stunning, _to say the least.

He swung, and a whip of crecent energy escaped his blade, tearing across the floor, hungry for blood!

Ulquoirra landed a second later, took a step back to brace himself, and raised one hand, clearly intending to deal with this attack as he had the others.

That turned out to be a mistake on his part.

The moment he caught it, he began sliding backward, despite his efforts to maintain his footing. In response, the wave buckled and bulged, growing larger with every second.

Strain began to show on his face as his slide picked up speed.

She watched his arm move a centimeter.

An inch now.

Further and further it was pushed back, until the attack was mere inches from his face!

The ground buckled beneath him, and his strained expression grew into a scowl. Finally, he brought out his other arm, which had _still _been in his other pocket, to deal with the cutting wave.

Briefly, he pushed it back to arms length, as both arms held the malevolent power at bay.

By now the wave was a large swathe of energy, that which nearly covered _half_ the room, opposite her.

_'Impossible!' _Was Ulquiorra's basic train of thought, as his arms began to buckle, and the wave showed no signs of weakening, or stopping.

No... in fact, it seemed to be getting _stronger_!

**_"Go!" _**Ichigo all but howled, and the wave exploded into Ulquoirra, blanketing the room in stema and remnants of his dark power, gone just as soon as it came.

Immediately, she felt his power decrease dramatically.

She looked on in fascination, as the mask crumbled from his face, slowly but surely, falling to the floor and fading away.

She turned away from watching.

"That was...interesting..

Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen, and the fight seemed to be over.

She knew it was not.

--

In a matter of moments the room had been all but destroyed. The ryoka had been stronger than the Arrancar had believed him to be—but he was by no means invincible. As Ulquiorra had anticipated, his taunts had finally goaded the shinigami into action, and had made him reckless. His attacks were _irritatingly_ powerful, but most were wild and inaccurate. If they hadn't been such wide swaths of energy, the shinigami would have missed the Espada on numerous occasions.

It was time to end this—it wouldn't be wise to leave Orihime alone for any extended period of time. He knew better than anyone else that the inhabitants of the castle were not happy about her presence there. It was his, Ulquiorra's, nearly constant presence that kept the others at bay.

Without his mask, the ryoka could _obviously_ tell that his attacks weren't having any effect.

He leaped for an opening in the wall, perhaps in a mad attempt at escape with his allies, or perhaps only to rest for a moment or so. But Ulquiorra wasn't one to allow him that luxury. Time was of the essence.

He appeared in a blur beside the shinigami, whose astonished gaze met his in an instant, and then moved down to observe the orb of viridian Cero the Espada held in his palm; just before Ulquiorra released it at point-blank range.

And it _hurt._

The shinigami flew back, crashing into an opposing tower far away. The Espada was there in an instant, just as the ryoka was pulling himself forcefully from the debris. Then, oddly enough, the shinigami began to laugh quietly. Ulquiorra felt an uncomfortable sensation over the tattoo just underneath his torn surcoat. The tip of the sleek black blade was pressed against his chest, though it trembled with the shinigami's effort to keep it placed there.

The ryoka looked up, his face fearless and arrogant.

"I guess you've got to be Aizen's most powerful, huh?" he asked, grinning. "So if I just take you out right now, it'll be a major blow to his little army, won't it?" Ulquiorra blinked once, his pale hand taking the slim edge of the obsidian sword and pushing it aside. The coat tore with its passage, revealing the ebony number four emblazoned in the Espada's stark white skin. His green eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the look of fading hope on the ryoka's battered countenance.

"Even if you were to somehow get past me, shinigami," Ulquiorra began quietly, "there are three others more powerful than myself lurking these halls." The Espada felt the Soul Reaper's tight grip begin to loosen at the hilt of his sword, but Ulquiorra held it steady at its tip. "But you do not have the capacity to best me, so it makes little difference."

Ulquiorra's other hand tautened, his fingers forming a deadly sharp point.

The Espada struck; he all but grimaced to see the wounded shinigami faint in front of him while he withdrew. But the ryoka was alive all the same—it had been a calculated miss. Ulquiorra blinked down at his fallen foe, deciding that he was a complete fool, and that he would probably regret the decision later.

Yet he knew it didn't matter.

The alternative was unacceptable.

--

Ichigo did not faint.

He was concious as Ulquiorra walked away, footfalls echoing in on themselves.

His face twisted into a scowl, but he could not make his body move.

"D-Damnit!"

He lay there for awhile, until at last, he could move again, and even then, only his arms, as zangetsu returned to normal.

"I-Itsygo!"

He looked to the right, and saw that Nel was perfectly fine.

She looked to be very upset though.

"I couldn' do anythin..." She lipsed, and clearly looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"I'm fine... He mumbled, trying to rise, edging forward on his arms.

Though it hurt like hell, and though he left a trail of blood in his wake, he managed to pat her on the head, then somehow not cry out, as she hugged him, and started sobbing into his chest.

"See? (cough) Just f-fine." He stammered.

"I-Itsygo...Sobbed the girl.

He tried to get up again.

Until a shadow fell over him.

A solitary figure looked down at him.

Green eyes gazed calmly out at him, and rough, spiky blond hair cascaded down her back.

"You lost."

She was clad in an oddly-cut variation of a whitejacket that has long sleeves and bares most of her midriff.

The lower part of her jacket is slightly extended to cover the latter.

She also carried a blade on her back; the sword itself was notably broad compared to others and has a western-style guard, and white hip hugger slacks finished off the outfit.

The remnants of a strange white mask were partially covered by her collar, but it is clear that she at least has pieces of mask on both sides of her cheeks as well as thinner fragments that frame her eyes.

It took all he had not to stare at her.

When he did not speak, she did, bluntly.

"What now, shinigami? What will you do?"

He tried to rise.

"If you're here to kill me arrancar, I ain't going down without a-

She raised a finger to silence him.

"I am _not_ here to kill you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Y-You know me?"

She reached down, and roughly pulled him up, along with Nel.

"Quite a bit actually."

He did a double take.

"Huh?"

She pulled a small capsule from one of her nonexistent pockets.

"Eat this."

"Eh?"

"We'll talk later. Right now I need to get you patched up, and I can't it you don't-

"Not that, I mean, why the hell're you helping me?!"

She paused for a moment.

"It has become rather boring around her of late."

He swallowed the pill with great reluctance, then gasped as his wounds all healed.

"You interest me." She stated simply, now moving to head outside.

"H-Hey!"

"You want to rescue the woman, don't you?"

"Y-Yeah, but-

In a rare moment of exasperation, she rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, I do not intent you or your companion any harm. And my word is my bond."

He frowned, following her.

"What's in it for you?"

She looked over her shoulder.

"As I said, curiosity. I need something to do, and you seem to be a topic of great interest to all of Soul Society by this point."

They rounded a corner, and in there path was a nondescript arrancar.

"H-Halibel-sama! What're you-

She disintegrated him with a quick cero.

"As you can see Kurosaki, that is my name. I expect you to address me as such."

Ichigo managed a dumb nod, as he kept pace with her.

"So you're on my side then?"

Through a door, up a set of stairs...

She paused to give him a look.

"No, I am on no one's side but my own."

Then they continued into the bowels of Las Noches...

And through another door.

Ran smack into Ulquiorra.

Halibel stopped immediately.

"Move."

Ulquiorra looked to be quite surprised, but only for a moment, then he saw Ichigo, and put two and two together.

Then his blade was drawn.

The steel of Halibel's zanpaktou met his seconds later.

"I see, so you are a traitor after all."

"I was never on your side to begin with," she replied, leveling her right hand at him, as it now danced with sapphron light.

"Gran Reina Cero."


	2. Rumble

Ulquiorra expected the attack to be a straightforward blast, something he could easily deflect.

He was wrong to underestimate the ingenuity of the tercero espada.

With a flick of tan fingers...

The resounding blast of sapphron _curved_, moments before its impact.

So unexpected was this move, that the light overwhelmed Ulquiorra, and sent him spiraling to several floors downward.

Halibel stared coldly after him, her words echoing down after him.

"I broke all the pillars on the floors below this one. You should fall for quit some time."

Nodding to herself, she then fired one more blast, this one a retalitory Bala, down the hole.

A satisfying cry of pain was heard, then the rubble fell, entombing Schiffer within his sand grave.

Ichigo watched the brief exchange take place, all in the blink of an eye, the time of three seconds.

"Impressive, is it not?" She inquired, upon noticing his gobsmacked expression, whilst Nel was awed into silence.

Kurosaki managed a dumb nod.

"S-Sugoi...

"H-how did you-

She flicked one strand of spiky blond hair over her shoulders, gazing pointedly at Nel.

"Perhaps Neliel could teach you."

Nel blinked.

"Huh? Me?"

Ichigo looked rather perplexed as well.

"I really doubt Nel could teach me any-

"Come. That will not hold him forever."

He looked up from the arrancar child-

Halibel was already around the next corner.

"Oi! Wait up!"

--

(Another chamber)

Ichigo now found he was having difficulty keeping pace with the lithe female espada, and carrying Nel wasn't helping him much either.

"Hey, slow down!"

"If you cannot keep up with me, then that is your problem." She stated coldly, never once slackening her pace, never looking back, perhaps even _increasing_ her stride a bit.

His angry curses began to fade into the background...

Skidding to halt, the vizard scowled darkly.

He _could_ keep up with her...

"Itsygo? What aw we doin'?" Asked Nel in her customary lisp, as his hand clenched into a claw.

But in order to do so, he'd make himself a beacon to evey arrancar for miles around.

Not much of a choice here.

"We're kicking it up a notch." Was his growled reponse, as the dark energy began to gather...

--

Her taunt achieved its desired effect, as seconds later, she felt that familair intriguing reiatsu.

A rush of wind, and then he shot through the halls like a speeding bullet.

**_"Comin' through!"_**

Less than a second later, he was dead even with her, with Nel still nestled in the crook of his arm.

She allowed herself a small smile behind the collar, glad that it could hide her emotions, if not her mask, from him.

"I knew you could keep up with me, Kurosaki."

**_"Where are we going?" _**He growled, as they rounded another bend-

And simultaneously smashed through the deadend that greeted them.

"To the upper level." She replied, shaking some debris from her hair, even as they ran at a breakneck pace. "That should be where your woman is kept."

**_"She's not my 'woman'." _**Ichigo stated gruffly, blushing a bit under his mask. **_"She's my friend."_**

Halibel sighed lightly, nonchalantly.

"Really? I'd expect someone like you to have already been snatched up by some heated young vixen."

His exasperated hiss was amusing, at least to her.

**_"You are...confusing me, arrancar."_**

"I know." Came her simple reply.

"Nel's confused too!"

Halibel ignored Neliel.

This ryoka, he was...

Intriguing.

Like a puzzle, she was missing a few neccesary pieces, but still, with every question and every reluctant answer, she drew one step closer to solving the riddle that was Kurosaki Ichigo. How could a mere human possess not only the powers of a Death God, but those of an espada class arrancar as well?

Judging from his current strength, he now had better control over his powers than he had during his brief onesided bout with Ulquiorra.

Whatever did not kill him...

Only made him stronger.

Curiosity nagged at her, she wanted to see the true depths of his powers, very, very badly.

When emotionally drawn into a conflict, he seemed to fight with double his usual strength, as he had against Ulquiorra.

Therefore, they were headed in the _opposite_ of where Inoue was supposed to be.

However, one could not be certain, due to the fact that the human's power was difficult to detect.

They were about to confront only other espada who were close to Kurosaki in power.

One of which not only had a personal grudge against _her_, but Neliel as well.

But the weaker of the two would have to come first.

Then she could heal Kurosaki and test his powers against Nnoitra.

Abruptly, she slowed her pace.

"We've been spotted."

Ichigo was quick to remove his mask, but judging by the low rumbling coming from down the hall, they had already been detected.

If all went according to her plans...

Then she'd be able to see more of that delightful power.

The dull rumbling grew to a low roar, as the wall before them exploded.

A familair face appeared.

But Halibel frowned as she saw that Grimmjow had the human girl with him.

"Kurosaki!"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Grimmjow!"

The blond sighed, and blasted a hole in the wall, causing both combatants to blanch.

"Both of you, take it outside."


	3. Fight and Fight Till You Die

He cleaved the Gran Rey Cero in two with ease.

When the smoke cleared, she felt that sinister power again.

But now it was _stronger_.

Much stronger.

Vizard Ichigo glared down at Grimmjow..

Cirucci trembled in anticipation as the espada placed his hand upon the flat of his blade, screaming out the name of his released form seconds later.

"Grind: Pantera!"

The sand exploded as he transformed, and moments later, the transformed Grimmjow's scream roared up at him.

She was terribly excited to see this battle, she could not deny that.

Ichigo did not respond, covering his visage with one arm...

The sexta espada was suddenly right in front of him.

Yellow irises went wide, as he received a fist in the face...

Which sent him exploding through pillar after pillar, in rapid succession.

Grimmjow had closed the gap between them, not wanting to let him have the first attack. Before the vizard could react to the punch, Grimmjow landed a spin kick to his abdomen, then a back handed punch to the side of his face to cancel out the momentum of the kick, followed up by an upward spin kick to the chin which launched him straight up into the air.

_'He's fast!'_

Tsking, Grimmjow appeared behind him, even as Ichigo tried to stabilize himself.

The resounding swipe sent him down into a pillar, which crumbled from the impact.

Everyone gasped.

Yet as he looked down into the dirt, Grimmjow attacked from above with a drop kick to the head, then got in front of him and landed a two foot kick to the spine to send him back up into the air.

Appearing in front of Ichigo again, Grimmjow spun himself like a gyroscope, landing several hits with his fists, elbow blades, and feet, before a straight punch sending the shinigami hurtling backwards.

Using another Sonido, Grimmjow got in front of him again and landed a two handed swing sending his opponent straight into the ground, followed by a quick Cero, one which exploded the ground in red, forcing everyone to huddle behind Orihime's shield, as the blast consumed ther general vicinity where Ichigo had been mere moments ago.

Halibel tsked, and watched the fight unfold

_'Even like this he's STILL winning..._

Grimmjow however, was far from done, and he scowled down into the dirt.

"Is that it shinigami?!"

His face twisted into a brutal sneer, he spat down into the dirt.

"Get out here."

After a moment he was answered.

Ichigo _flew _upward out of the dust, moving incredibly fast, and appearing behind Grimmjow, blade raised high.

**_"GESTUGA TENSHOU!"_**

The Espada snarled, but had no time to move, before he was consumed in the inferno, a massive swathe of dark flames, that was easily ten times the velocity and size of the previous attack, and FAR larger than the one he had heaved at Ulquiorra.

A fierce wind swept up, and the vizard just stood there in midair, his face contorting into a scowl, as a laughing Grimmjow suddenly swept aside the smoke with a fully charged Cero in his hand, got above Ichigo, and fired it at point blank range with a fierce shout.

_'Kuso!' **(Shit)**_

He couldn't react fast enough and was engulfed by the attack as it slammed into the ground and exploded.

Grimmjow stood in the air panting, from the smoke, a wicked scar on his muscled chest and stomach, his eyes sparking with wild animal insanity, as he saw Ichigo once again emerged from the smoke, relatively unharmed, albeit a few scorch marks on his face.

"THIS IS GREAT! I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!"

The shinigami scowled, then blurred forward, intercepting the oncoming punch in his free hand, whilst Grimmjow's left seized the wrist of his sword arm.

**_"You won't be saying that when you're_ dead_, Grimmjow!"_**

Fire rippled from his form and steam rose from them, as their auras flared about them, a horrifying power that was terrible to behold, let alone witness

Suddenly, they both vanished, only to to reappear on the ground, exchanging heated blows and strikes.

Again, they vanished, reappearing to the left, swords a blur of steel grey, and luminous crimson red, as it was now Ichigo who was on the defensive, his shunts, blocks, and parries, a blur to the eye, as his blade was seemingly everywhere at once, never letting a hit get through to him.

With a simultaneous growl, their blades slammed together, sparks flying as energy clashed against metal, their faces creased murderously, as they were just starting to get serious.

They broke apart, slammed together, sprang away, again and again, blurs of black and grey, flitting through the air like vengeful angels over the ground at incredibly fast speeds, the shockwaves of such nearly bowling everyone off her feet.

"How is he doing that... Murmured Inoue as she watched the two flit about the sky, like two vengeful angels.

"He's pretty strong, isn't he?" Quipped Halibel, and the the strawberry blond found the espada sitting on the ground beside her, a rather content look upoon her face.

The girl adopted a confused look.

"Ano, who are you again?"

In response, the blond smiled to herself.

"You don't need to know."

But before Inoue could answer in kind, the sky suddenly exploded in red, lighting them in the dull glow. Seconds later the ground before them exploded, as Ichigo was suddenly cast into it, having sustained a direct hit from a cero.

Inoue's eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her mouth.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

"Itsygo!" Cried Nel.

Yet the smoke and dust where suddenly swept away, revealing him to be cast in a dim red aura, having used Reiatsu for defense, cushioning his fall.

His eyes fell on her, and they were cold.

**_"Inoue. Use your Sante Keshun to shield yourself from here on out."_**

His eyes were frozen over, there was no emotion in them.

**_"Don't take it down for a second."_**

He turned, back to her, as Grimmjow shouted for him to get back to the fight.

**_"DO IT!"_**

She visibly winced.

Without another word, he suddenly sprang into the air, in pursuit of Grimmjow.

Halibel gave her a sidelong look. "I suggest you listen."

She didn't look, focused only on the battle.

"H-hai! Sante Keshun, I reject!"

xxx

Grimmjow noticed that there was barely a scratch on him, Ichigo, who now began his counter attack anew, even as he ascended.

He went for a kick to the waist which Grimmjow blocked, then a punch to the face which Grimmjow easily dodged while shouting:

"You're too damn slow, shinigami!"

Grimmjow then let loose a rapid barrage of punches to the gut, and after a moment of sagging over in pain, Ichigo clamored up, swung his blade to Grimmjow's gut, which the limber espada hopped over and immediately went into a rapid spin and landed several hits with his tail and elbow blade, and finally ended with a kick, which jerked the blonde's head downward sharply.

Kurosaki recovered though, and aimed Getsuga at him, but with a flick of the wrist Grimmjow released a Bala to divert the attack, thus snapping Ichigo's arms backward, and leaving him wide open for an attack, which consisted of another counter with a punch to his face.

Grimmjow then went for a downward swing but now, Ichigo caught him by the upper arm, so Grimmjow's elbow was pointing at Ichigo's face. "Wrong move buddy," Grimmjow stated, and with a clicking sound darts suddenly exploded from his arm-

Only for Ichigo to catch them all in his free hand, a wicked grin set upon his face, beyond the mask.

**_"My turn."_**

Grimmjow howled as a long gash was torn down his left arm.

"RAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Before Ichigo could even move, Grimmjow had grabbed him by the face and darted towards the ground, nearby several pillars.

A roar escaped him, as and dragged Ichigo's face along the them, for at least two blocks, before tossing him along the ground and into the largest spire, following it up with another Cero, he then did a midair back flip to cancel out his momentum and stood on the ground waiting, as the blast consumed Ichigo.

Inoue made to rush down there, as he rose to his feet Grimmjow crowing his triumph, but Halibel held her back, the look on her face calm as she felt reaitsu solidify, and then compress itself.

"Wait."

A wild cackle escaped the sexta espada.

"HA! How'd ya like-

His eyes widened as his spiritual pressure skyrocketed, followed by a watery laugh and growl.

**_"You were saying?"_**

Ichigo exploded out of the wreckage, clothing ripped and tattered in places, but very much alive, as he came in hard, fast and low, striking at his foe's legs, with a brutal swing, that again cast someone into the ground.

The panther arrancar shot out of the turf behind Ichigo and landed a kick to the side of his head, Grimmjow did a flip to stabilize himself and counter attacked with a punch to the face, then aimed a kick to the gut, which was easily blocked by grabbing Grimmjow's leg and throwing him into the air.

For a moment, they just hung there, panting.

This was only for a second, then their battle resumed.

"That power...

He raised his blade-

-It's not a shinigami's."

The strawberry blond chortled, as he caught an elbow blade with his saber, before breaking past the guard, and dealing Grimmjow a long narrow gash on his chest, a glancing blow, but an injury nonetheless, as he sprang away, leaving the wound to bleed.

**_"Of course not."_**

He then charged at Grimmjow and aimed a punch to the gut, which Grimmjow dodged and countered with a kick to the head, that unlike before, seemed to do nothing, followed by a hit with his tail, which also proved to be ineffective.

For Ichigo effortlessly brushed the attacks off and continued to attack by landing an upper cut to Grimmjow's chest.

The movements of his foe seemed slow now, in comparison to before, he found this to be quite easy, now that he was tapping into his full power, rather than ignoring it and the often painful side-effects.

While Grimmjow was temporarily stunned, Ichigo tried a more daring tactic. With a flick of his wrist, he now tossed his blade up into the air, letting it spin end over end...

While he grabbed Grimmjow's tail, and began to spin.

This went on for quite a while, faster and faster, until he was flung to the side, and pursued by a getsuga, as Ichigo caught his blade and heaved the crescent wave out again.

Grimmjow avoided it by using Sonido and landed a solid punch to Ichigo's spine, one that made the redhead wince, and let loose a barrage of Balas seconds later.

Ichigo caught them all, took them head on, and raised his blade in a guard, effortlessly swatting them aside, then vanished and reappeared above Grimmjow.

Taking advantage of a momentary opening, he struck, landing a kick to his face which sent him flying backwards.

He quickly slashed the tip of his thumb, and as he did so, black red energy danced wildly in his free hand, with _very_ little control.

Now he knew he was risking a great deal by employing hollow tactics, but he needed this battle to end, and a getsuga just wasn't fast enough for that sorta thing.

He took great pleasure in seeing the look of horrofied surprise plastered all over the espada's face.

Halibel felt eager excitement build up within her, something she had not felt for a long while.

_'Now!'_

"Gran Rey Cero!"

He then launched the blast, and it was right on target as made evident by Grimmjow being sent flying to the ground below, a trail of smoke falling behind him.

Yet, suddenly, he twisted in the air, and again fired a series of darts from his arm.

"EAT THIS!"

With barely an effort, Ichigo dodged them-

Until he saw where they were headed.

**_"INOUE!"_**

Blood flew through the air...

xxx

Kurosaki suddenly appeared before her, back to the arrancar and facing her-

Took all five of the darts to his back, sagging over from the impact and crying out as he did so

His hollowfied eyes stared into hers, and she scooted back a bit in fear.

He spat out blood through his mask, his tone pained.

**_"I'm fine... this is nothing...._**

Grimmjow suddenly sprang off the ground at him, and Ichigo blurred away, the battle joined again and again, as they blurred through the air, yet Inoue now refused to look, as what she had seen earlier, had truly frightened her.

Cirucci noticed this, and something else now.

The shinigami was starting to lose ground.

Ichigo spun away from a kick, and received a brutal tail whip, that smacked him into the ground.

He rose up, and now the upper right half of his mask had been shattered, revealing that part of his face...

As he looked up, just in time to receive an axe kick which he caught, and returned in favor, by cutting a gash over the espada's chest, flinging him away, then tackling him in a skydiving kick, which shook the earth, as they collided again, the ground exploding under their feet.

Inoue began to tremble, and Nel looked at her.

"Why aren't you cheerin' for Itsygo?!"

Startled, she bit her lip.

Halibel rolled her eyes. "She's afraid. Its only natural."

Ichigo was rising from the ground now, but a spinning kick from Grimmjow caught him square in the face, chipping the entire right side away and thus exposing that side of his visage, as he was sent him tumbling end over end in the sand.

His determination shone through, he pushed off a wall, and sprang back into action, his blade slammed against the spikes of Grimmjow's elbow blades.

Simultaneously, they lashed out, catching each other's face in a solid right hook, that blasted them apart, along with a purple dome, thanks to the mix of red and blue energies.

Orihime bit her lip.

Ichigo now sidestepped an axe kick, the sand exploding beneath him. Grimmjow leapt back seconds later, came around again and as they charged forward and connected, a dome of purple light flashed out-

From which Ichigo was heaved out, slamming into the ground beneath them, as they looked down from the pillar.

He propped himself up, and winced as the lower half of his mask crumbled, most of his face exposed now, his yellow black eyes still terrifying to behold.

"You oughta be cheerin' for him!" Cried Nel!

His chest rose and fell sharply, he sucked in a ragged breath, sprang forward again-

"TOO SLOW!" Laughed Grimmjow, and a flying kick booted the blond back into the wall with explosive force, not enough to shatter it, but it easily cracked as his back slammed into it.

Orihime gasped as blood shone on the stone.

"He's gonna _die _if you don' believe in him!" she sobbed, her eyes swimming with tears by this point.

Cackling wildly, the espada leapt upon the vizard, his hands a blur of motion, dealing serious damage, whilst the strawberry blond buckled under the attacks.

"Come on Come on, Come on, COME ON! Where's that reaitsu from before?! Where the hell did your fighting spirit go?!"

Ichigo's head snapped up, his eyes blazed, red light dancing about his form, and into his zanpaktou.

**_"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"_**

The resulting wave of red/black heat smacked _hard_into Grimmjow, cutting into his chest, sending him sailing into the air and giving Ichigo a much needed reprieve as he then vomited blood, and sagged over on his knees.

In the sky, he knew Grimmjow would be coming for him again, and right now, he was running on empty.

Even now, he could barely move-

"DON'T DIE KUROSAKI-KUN!"

**_"Inoue..._**

He suddenly stiffened, as he heard Orihime _scream_ at him.

Time seemed to slow.

He looked over his shoulder, up at the pillar-

To see her crying, tears brimming and gushing out of her eyes, sobbing openly, her mouth cupped with both hands, so as to amplify her voice.

"You don have to win, Itsygo just don get hurt any more!" Pleaded Nel as well

**_"Nel..._**

"Just don't get beat up anymore, _please_!" The two said this at once.

Grimmjow suddenly came tearing in ready to give a killing blow, and his eyes widened.

"KUROSAKI!"

He twirled round to take the head on attack-

And caught the claw in one hand, all the while looking away, the wind force ripping at his robes.

The espada frowned.

How did he block that?

Zangetsu pulsed, it glowed, a deep red, and a calm look was set into his face, despite the partially shattered mask.

"Sorry Grimmjow, but I can't afford any more injuries...

Grimmjow gasped as the blade was raised up, yet the vizard had him in a death grip, and try as he might, he could not get away.

_'Shit!'_

"It ends here."

He released the espada, and with all his remaining might, swung down hard, harder than he ever had before.

And everything on the ground was consumed in the fire of the Tenshou wave...

--

"I can't lose to you, Grimmjow!"

The blade pierced the espada, and it was over.

He would live, but he was no longer a threat, once his released form sealed itself back into a sword.

Ichigo shook his head sadly, and ascended up to where Inoue and the others were.

"Itsygo!"

"GAH!" He cried, as Nel headbutted/tackled him right in the stomach, were he had been stabbed by Grimmjow earlier.

Visibly ticked, he grabbed her.

"Idiot! What were you thinking?! You jumped off a cliff! You would've died if you fell!"

"I'm so happy." That simple murmur through him entirely off course

"Eh?"

"Itsygo, I'm so happy you didn't die!"

At this, his eyes softened.

"Yeah-

He patted her on the head. "Thanks Nel."

With that, he jumped back to the pillar, and set her down.

Halfway up, or rather, the moment his feet hit the ground, he felt the warm glow of Sante Kesshun surround him.

Halibel nodded once

"Looks like you won."

Ichigo gave her a weary thumbs, up, the mask having crumpled off his face during his battle with Grimmjow.

"Yeah."

The arrancar patted herself off of imaginary dirt.

"As expected-

"Are you hurt?"

Now she was the one caught off guard.

"E-Excuse me?"

He looked right at her, even as the light left him, and he was fully healed.

"I said, are you hurt?"

A light blush tinted her face, hidden by the collar.

This was new.

"No, I'm fine."

He now looked at Inoue.

"Inoue, I-

She shook her head, then smiled.

"No, I'm fine, Kurosaki-kun-Eep!"

She let out a small cry of surprise, as he suddenly hefted her over the shoulder.

Halibel felt a spark of annoyance within her breast.

Needless to say, she blushed madly.

"K-Kurosaki-kun W-What're you-

He seemed confused.

"Huh? What am I doing? I'm heading down. It's quicker that way, right?"

"B-But-

"What is it? Something wrong?"

"I-I'm pretty heavy...She stammered nervously.

The shingami shrugged.

"Not really. You're pretty light."

Inoue flushed a deep, dark crimson.

Did he just _compliment_ her?

"Kurosaki-kun, I-

"EOW!"

He was aware that Halibel had hit him, with enough force to make him see stars

"What the hell was that for?!"

"We are taking too long." She replied simply.

His glare softened suddenly.

At that moment, he noticed something, entirely out of place.

Her, to be exact.

When he had first looked at her, he had been half dead.

The thought of her being drop dead _gorgeous _hadn't really sunk into his thick skull just yet, but now that he looked at her, _really_ looked at her...

Her hair was down.

She held herself with a confident air.

She was not secretive about her intentions, quite the contrary, she was very open.

In more ways than one.

"You're staring."

Her icy tone jarred him out of the stupor.

"Huh?"

"Stop staring." She repeated.

Was that a tinge of pink under her collar?

He never found out, as she now jumped down to the sands below.

Blinking, he shook it off, scooped up Nel in one arm, and hopped down after her.

(After dealing with Grimmjow's pointless attack)

"So you can stop now."

"Bullshit! Don't give me that-

"What a bad loser! You can just DIE!"

Out of nowhere, a giant scythe came and slammed into him, drawing blood, and smacking the espada to the sand, before drawn back in by the chain.

"He's mine!"

Ichigo stepped before Nel, shielding her with his body.

In response, the scythe was swung-

Only to be caught on the edge of Zangetsu.

Ichigo glared daggers at the arrancar.

"You said you wanted to fight me, right?"

He shoved the scythe back.

"Well then let's go!"

"What's your name, shinigami?"

Holding Zangetsu at the ready, he spoke.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Nnoitra grinned, and it was anything but pleasant as he brought his weapon around.

"Kurosaki, huh? I'll remember it...

He suddenly exuded a massive amount of reiatsu!

"Until you die that is!"

"Ichigo proceeded to leap away from the flurry of swings, barely blocking them all, before he was hit into the sand.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Cried Inoue, running to help

Nnoitra smirked.

"Tesla!"

Halibel did nothing as the fraccion pinned the woman down.

"Now, let's see how strong you _really_ are, Ichigo."


	4. Kick You Till You Die

_'Itsygo aways pwotected me..._

CLANG!

_'He aways was nice to me...._

CLANG!

"HAH! Not bad, shinigami! But-"

_'Itsgyo..._

All these thoughts and more ran through her little head, as she was heaved into the air.

"Nel! Bastard, let her go!"

"Try and make me, shinigami!"

The fifth espada moved his arm out of Ichigo Kurosaki's reach, dragging Nel helplessly through the air as he swung his double-crescent bladed scythe down on the unprepared vizard. Ichigo cried out as he was struck down to his knees. Two new gashes blossomed as the razor sharp blade slashed Ichigo's thoroughly torn shinigami robes, and a shower of crimson blood flew into the air.

Noitora Jiruga tossed Nel aside as if she were a ragdoll. The child with the broken skull mask cried out as she struck the hardened sand terrain and skidded to a halt. Struggling to move into a sitting position, Nel looked up at Ichigo with wide, teary eyes.

The extreme fatigue that went along with back-to-back espada battles was wearing down on Ichigo Kurosaki, hard. His labored breaths came at an unsteady pace and the shinigami's grip on his bankai was loose. The rage pumping through his veins and his strong will to survive were the only things fueling Ichigo with adrenaline and drive.

Furious, he reached to his face, eyes already a sinister hollow yellow.

"Bastard...

With a rush of dark, power, the mask was _on_.

Unexpectedly, his left arm suddenly shattered, into what looked like a...

White claw.

Nnoitra's single eye widened as black light burst from his enemy.

**"RAGH!"**

The vizard _slammed _into the arrancar, seizing him in a chokehold pinning him against the stone wall, cracking itl!

Everyone was visibly stunned, but no one more so than Nnoitra himself, who struggled mightily against the grasp that cut off his air.

Ichigo let out a wicked cackle as he squeezed down, giving himself over to the darkness in an effort to subdue the espada, his hollowfied hand digging deep into his enemy's neck....

And it seemed to be working

Until Nnoitra remembered he had his scythe.

Halibel could not help but wince as Nnoitra swung down at the unsuspecting shinigami, the impact shattering the unmarked portion of his mask, and catapaulting him away.

Nnoitra Jirgua grinned sinisterly as he picked himself up from the dune, entirely unscathed.

This was _exciting_!

"Finally! Now _this_ is a real fight!"

Kurosaki's repsonse was to bum rush Jiruga.

_**"You're gonna pay!"**_

For what seemed like hours, they bounced off each other, the ground beginning to quake beneath their feet, as they traded heavy blows and slashes, the likes of which would kill anyone else.

But not two espada class warriors such as these.

A battle like this was what they _lived_ for.

But unfortunately, the ryoka was not prepared for the continuous strain of fighting three espada in a row.

To Halibel, it was as clear as the artificial daylight that reigned over the dome.

It was wearing him down.

Again, Ichigo went into the windup.

**"Getsuga-**

The blond sighed.

"It's over."

His pulsing black blade struck Nnoitra square in the chest.

Nothing happened.

Hollowfied eyes went wide.

**"Shit!"**

The fifth scowled darkly, when after about five seconds of stunned silence, nothing happened..

"Is that it?"

Kurosaki's stunned expression told him it was so.

"Pathetic."

His scythe sang through the air, and blood sprayed everywhere, as Kurosaki Ichigo was smote hard upside the head.

The mask shattered less than a second later, amidst the gash he bore from shoulder to hip

And after all that fighting, the vizard had only managed to give the espada was a bad burn mark.

A harsh laugh echoed through the air, then a booted kick sent the strawberry blond flying.

"You're even more pathetic than Grimmjow!"

Out of the corner of his eye, the red headed shinigami could see Orihime Inoue watching him with her large, grey eyes, her expression stricken with fear. Noitora's fraccion, Tesla, had a forearm tucked under Inoue's chin, choking her tightly, pressing and rubbing his body against her own… But he was powerless to save his friend.

Ichigo was powerless to save _himself _at that point.

"It's time to end this, shinigami."

Noitora grabbed ichigo's wrist, hoisting him up off his feet. Helpelssly suspended in the air, Ichigo winced and cried out in pain as his wrist was twisted in opposite directions, putting a substantial amount of strain on his bones and tendons. Pain was searing through the worn shinigami's body, his vision was fading into black.

Halibel made no move to interfere, but neither did she take pleasure in this.

"Itygo… Itsygo…" whimpered Nel, watching her protector writhe and scream...

Tears welled in her eyes.

"I can' do anythin'...

He was gonna lose!

He was gonna _die_!

And it was all her fault!

The sound of Noitora's shrill, cruel laughter rang in the air, mocking him, jeering her, as if to say:

_And you're helpless to save him._

All at once something snapped.

_'NO!'_

Halibel decided it was time to intervene.

Her hand grasped the hilt of her zanpaktou....

The child yelled louder, face contorting in anger.

_"ITSYGO!"_

A cloud of dust _exploded_ around Nel. Noitora unceremoniously dropped Ichigo to the ground and turned to watch the wildly blossoming dirt that was enveloping her, leaving the shinigami in a crumpled tangle of limbs on the ground.

Halibel watched the scene unfold with mild interest, then released her grip on her blade.

No, not yet.

She'd only step in when there was no other way to ensure his safety.

Ichigo slowly gained back full consciousness, noticing that something else had caught Noitora's attention. The shinigami peered around and immediately laid eyes on a gorgeous being who was sitting tranquily in the sand. The dirt surrounding her whirled in loose spirals until it faded away, accentuating her supernatural beauty.

His mind slowly pieced together that the goddess was Nel in her espada form. She had flowing teal hair with bangs that fell into her eyes, and a skull mask with curved horns was intact on top of her head. Ripped remnants of white clothing clung to Nel's perfect curves. Her forest green eyes slid open, blinking a few times.

Nel rose from her indian-style position on the ground, and Ichigo noticed how lithe and effortless her movements were.

The bleached rags that covered Nel's body left very little to the imagination. The torn fabric didn't fully conceal her large, round breasts, and left her entire abdomen exposed. Nel stood motionlessly and stared down the espada standing before her.

"Nel?" Ichigo asked quietly, still bewildered.

"Is that… Nel-chan?!" said Orihime. She strained against her captor's iron grip to watch the newly transformed espada's every move.

Noitora's eyed narrowed. "So you've returned to that form… Neliel."

Nel was _completely_ focused on the espada before her, expression blank. In a split second, she flash stepped around him, teal hair whipping wildly behind her, Noitora's smirk faded.

Ichigo's body stiffened as Nel kneeled before him, pulling the injured shinigami into a tight embrace.

"Bitch," spat Noitora. His distaste for the former espada was prominent in the malice that dripped off of his words whenever he addressed her. The fifth's grip tightened on his double-crescent shaped zanpaktou.

"Nel?" Ichigo felt her massive breasts resting on his chest as Nel turned to face him directly. Her face was even more beautiful up close, large viridian eyes looking over his bloody, scarred body with the utmost concern the spots of blush under her eyes adding a bit of innocence to her persona. "Are you… really Nel?"

Nel smiled endearingly. "Yes. Thanks to you I was able to return to this form. Ichigo," the sound of his name passing by her pouty lips in that sweet voice made the shinigami shudder. The hair falling over her left shoulder tickled the wounds on his upper body. "It's thanks to you that I've come this far. Your protected me all this way. So please be a little patient, I'll pay you back."

Their eye contact finally broke as she set down Ichigo and stood protectively in front of him. Ichigo could see quite a bit of skin that included a peek under the hem of her torn skirt, it was a struggle for the shinigami to keep his mind sharp.

"Hold it Nel! You said 'pay back'… You're not seriously going to fight that guy?" he blurted out. Ichigo was the slightest bit irritated and shamed that a woman, especially one with such radiant looks, was fighting his battles. What if she got killed on his behalf?

But her reassurance came immediately. "It's okay," replied Nel firmly, yet gently. She turned her head to the side and smirked at Ichigo. Moving her teal mane of flowing hair, Nel revealed the large three that was tattooed in the smooth skin of her back. Ichigo felt a stirring pressure building up in his groin at the sight of so much lovely, bare skin and her sensual gaze locking with his own…

Such terrible timing…

"I'll finish this right away," whispered Nel. She winked before withdrawing her thin, compact zampakutou and springing forward in the blink of an eye. Nel was quick and agile, her sonido would probably be on par with Yoruichi's shunpo.

Noitora wildly swung his scythe in retaliation, but as Nel flashed by a thin gash blossomed across his abdomen, sending a shower of crimson blood spouting into the air, nearly cutting him clean in half.

"Fuck it!" Screamed the enraged fifth espada. His scythe slashed through the air with a powerful down swing, and Nel effortlessly dodged the attack. She landed smoothly, still smirking. Noitora's fraccion tightened his grip around Orihime's throat as the pair continued to watch the battle unfolding before them.

Orihime was mystified… The adorable child arrancar that had been following Ichigo was actually an espada? Quite a swift and powerful one, at that. Seeing the way Ichigo watched her made a knot tighten in the pit of Orihime's stomach.

"Damn it bitch!" cursed Noitora. The lanky arrancar held his large zanpaktou at his side, glaring at Nel. The two held their ground with eyes that were unblinkingly focused on each other.

But this fight was _far _from over.

Niotora's lips curved up into a wicked smirk as he opened his mouth, long tongue poking out. A radiant saffron light began to form in the back of his throat…

"TAKETHIS!"

"Nel, its cero!" Ichigo yelled as soon as he recognized the attack. He inhaled sharply as a jolt of pain shot through the deep gashes on both his front and back when he attempted to sit up.

But Nel stood unflinchingly, determined eyes watching the cero blast rocket through the air until it was about to engulf her whole. Nel held up her simple green zampakutou and opened her mouth wide.

Much to everybody's surprise, Nel ate Noitora's cero _whole_.

The Quenta espada paled.

"Shit!"

She paused, her eyes snapping open, just long enough to see the fear register in her combatant's eyes before spitting out her own cero blast, one of light purple, violet origin, adding her reiatsu back into the mix.

Ichigo was mystified as he beheld this strange sight, Neliel's power was _substantially _greater than his own.

He had no _idea _a girl could actually _be_ that strong!

A blinding flash of light with at least twice the magnitude and velocity of Noitora's attack consumed the espada with a loud explosion. A mushroom cloud of sand and smoke erupted into the air, and all was still.

Ichigo, Orihime, and Tesla were all stricken with surprise. Nel turned to face Ichigo, smiling quietly. Despite her strength, Nel held herself with such poise and the unmistakable air of girlish charm.

"Noitora-sama!" called out Tesla, releasing his grip on Orihime and rushing towards the site of the explosion with such urgency that the red-headed girl fell to her knees, breaths coming in short, labored bursts after being choked for such a long time. She shook out her long locks of vibrant red hair and ran over to Ichigo.

"Ku- Kurosaki-kun!" gasped Orihime, falling to her knees by his side. "Just wait a moment…

Nel moved towards them, sliding her zampakutou back into its sheath.

"Nel…" said Ichigo. His head pounded so badly that it was a struggle to keep his eyes open. She glanced back with the same endearing gaze as before. Nel picked up one arm and placed it across her abdomen, drawing attention to the skimpiness of her tattered clothing in comparison to the size of her perfect, round breasts… The ghost of a smile touching Nel's lips widened until she let out a soft chuckle.

"Ichigo!" called out Nel. Without warning, she flung herself on top of Ichigo, pulling him into a tight embrace. The badly injured shinigami hugged back with the strength that he could muster. Nel buried her head in Ichigo's shoulder and gently kissed his wounded flesh, sending tingles up and down Ichigo's spine. His arms were wrapped around her exposed back, and he could feel every curve of her gorgeous body pressing flush against him.

Orihime sat down, pouting. It was obvious by the crimson flush in his cheeks and refusal to be healed despite his grave injuries that Ichigo liked Nel… And whoever listened to Nel knew how the former third espada felt.

"I'm so glad! I'm so glad you didn't get hurt," Nel murmured while clutching Ichigo tighter. As wonderful as it felt, the orange-haired shinigami began to feel his consciousness ebbing away.

"Fwah!" was the noise Ichigo made now that he could FINALLY breathe due to his escape

Orihime whispered something, and the pair became engulfed in a blinding halo of golden light. Ichigo felt immediate relief at Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka began to take hold, rejecting each one of his injuries. Nel basked in the warmth of the golden glow as well.

"Nel, thank you," whispered Ichigo softly, opening his eyes. Most of his skin wounds had been rejected, and his mind began to clear. The shinigami ran a hand through Nel's soft locks of hair.

The espada shook her head, cuddled deeper into his chest.

"No, thank you, Ichigo."

She felt so happy she could cry.

And cry she did.

"Ichigo...You did so much for me. I want to do something for you."

Orihime bit down on her lower lip. Tears were welling in the corners of her eyes, but she continued to exert her powers as if nothing were wrong. First Ichigo had backtracked to save Rukia, met up with this mysterious female, and now _this_?

The young girl closed her eyes and focused all of her being on healing Ichigo. Then maybe they could get out of Hueco Mundo and return to the human world at last…

Nel picked up her head and placed a hand on Ichigo's jawbone, tracing the flawless flesh gently with her fingertips.

"I was finally able to do something useful for you, Ichigo. I want to do that again. Over and over, until you don't have to worry about me."

He managed a dumb nod.

"Uh...thanks."

She giggled, and hugged him again, gentle this time, as if she wasn't capable of crushing his bones to fine powder.

"I'm so happy."

Unfortunately, the tender moment did not last.

"Bitch, what're you so friggn' happy about?!"

The scythe was suddenly flung at them, but the tercero espada caught it in one hand.

Viridian eyes narrowed dangerously, and she let go of Ichigo.

In a lightning fast motion, she tossed it back, whilst Tesla got back up from being thrown to the earth.

Ichigo looked on in rage, as the fraccion seized Orihime again.

"So...you're still alive." Neliel murmurred, upon seeing her old comrade, almost entirely unscathed, aside from part of his spoon collar, and his right sleeve being burned away.

Nnoitra spat some garbage about her never being able to beat him.

"Did you think that was it, Neliel?! Do you have any idea how long you've been away?!"

A harsh laugh.

"That tatoo of yours doesn't mean _shit _anymore!"

She seemed to sigh, shoulders slumping slightly.

"I'd rather not have used this. I didn't want to risk it after returning to my original form...

Her eyes became crystalline, and her posture changed.

"But it seems I have no longer have any choice."

Her blade rasped as it was drawn from its emerald sheathe, beginning to pulse.

Solemnly, she held it out before herself.

"Declare-

But no, a hand on her arm stopped her.

It was Halibel.

The blond slowly shook her head, and forced the blade down from its upright position.

"No. It will put too much strain on your body."

The childlike espada blinked, once, then twice, in surprise.

"Who are you?"

Nnoitra's eye went wide, as if he just noticed Halibel.

"Eh? What the hell're you doing here-

His head jerked to the side, narrowly avoiding the golden blast that came from Halibel's right hand.

Of course, the chauvinistic bastard was quick to reply in kind, rising up with all the fury of a hurricane, and seizing her by the jacket, so as to prevent her escape.

Halibel made no effort to escape.

If anything, she looked annoyed.

Ichigo's eyes tripled.

"Halibel!"

Nnoitra chuckled as his mouth opened again.

"Adios, tercera espada."

Another saffron blast escaped his maw, and Nel herself barely had time to escape it.

But Halibel had no time.

It was fired.

Point blank.

The ground exploded into a large mushroom cloud of smoke amidsts Ichigo's horrified scream.

"NOOOOOOO!"

However, his grief was short lived.

"Pitiful."

Before the tears could even fall, Nnoitra was violently kicked out of the smoke, and into the sand, much to Ichigo's shock, the fifth looked to be badly burned and bruised, as if he had taken the full brunt of the attack.

The smoke began to clear now, and a silhouette was seen through the dark smoky fog.

Her jacket had been shredded, her collar was gone.

The strawberry blond found himself struck dumb and speechless.

He could not pull his gaze away, he could not stop looking at her lovely visage.

He saw two chips of bone resting under her chin, placed lightly upon her jawbone, mere lines, nothing more. The mask seemed to go down her neck, in a collar of sorts, spreading out to the sides until the rags of her jacket hid that from view.

Not for much longer, as with a tear, the the tattered fabric was cast aside, revealing the extent to which her mask ran down her body.

Immediately, the vizard flushed a dark cherry red.

One thought came to the fore, and only served to make things worse.

They were bigger than Rangiku's!

Not that he _ever _looked, mind you.

However, as his eyes ran down her well endowed form...

Her rank caught his eye.

Indeed, the number 3 tattooed upon her breast made Ichigo's eyes triple.

"Third?"

In his mind, the way her mask was made, it only served to further accentuate her beauty.

Her face was perfect. Smooth, yet not wide, nor narrow, not too large, nor too small. Her emerald eyes, they seemed to dance with life, and the desire to do battle with powerful adversaries.

Thin black lips parted, to expose perfect teeth, pure white and not a trace of decay to be found.

Tsking, she bit the last part of the collar with her teeth, and forcefully spat it out.

A pink tongue, a _human _tongue, licked her lips, and they lips parted again, now in a small sigh, one hand resting upon her tan hips in a fist.

She cast Ichigo a glance, her dark lips quirked upward in a small smile.

"That's right, Kurosaki. I am the current tercera espada."

The cloud behind her started to fade.

"You may rest now. I have seen enough of your power."

Nnoitra looked like he was about to shit himself, when her blade was drawn, rasping into the air, then pointed at him.

"I am your opponent now, Nnoitra Jiruga."

Hastily, the fifth clamored up, trying his best to put up a brash facade.

"So, I finally pissed ya off, huh?"

She shook his head, depriving him of his self assurance-

"No...

And of his left arm seconds later.

She was now behind him, a ribbon of gold energy slicing through the air, through the path she had taken.

"You ruined my jacket."

It took him about five seconds to realize that he was missing a limb.

And then he _howled_, gore spraying all about as veins were sliced, staining the sands red mixed with his screams of raw agony.

"D-Damn you! You bitch!"

She shook the blood off her blade, and came back around for another strike.

He barely got his scythe up in time, but even then, she sliced a portion of the giant zanpaktou in half, cutting through it and him to pass by.

Ichigo watched with awe as the tan vixen proceeded to make a fool of Nnoitra, trumping him in every way, adding another cut, another slash for every time she struck.

"She's strong...

Nel nodded silently.

It was then that Ichigo seemed to realize something, and spun to face Tesla.

"Inoue!"

Nel shook her head, and stepped forward instead, causing the fraccion to gulp.

"Please, Ichigo. You need to rest. Allow me."

Grumbling, the vizard relented, and turned round, as Nel simply swatted Tesla like a fly, and took back Inoue with little difficulty.

However, he saw something that made his blood go cold.

"PRAY! SANTA TERESA!"


	5. Dark Dawn

The dust blew away with a foul wind, revealing Nnoitra Jiruga.

Transformed.

He had gained an extra set of arms which took on an insectoid appearance, each arm gaining a large scythe-like weapon as well. The weapons were large and hooked indicating they could definitely used by him to both defend and then rapidly attack his opponent.

These weapons had "grown" out of the folds of his wrists. Nnoitra had also gained a pair of horns on his head, his left horn longer than his right, resembling a crescent moon. His hollow mask changed also, becoming torn and featuring jagged teeth, the eyepatch having shredded away under the effects of his transformation.

And to make matters even worse...

All of the previous wounds inflicted upon Nnoitra Jiruga were simply...

Gone.

Even the wicked vertical slash dealt across his chest, the one that had nearly cleaved him in two, and ripped open his jacket...

It had simply stitched itself shut, leaving only the faintest remnant of a scar.

A wicked smile completed his sinister appearance, his quartet of scythes glinting in the light of Hueco Muendo.

"Surprised?" He drawled, as everyone other than Halibel stared at him in a twisted mixture of shock and horror. "This is an espada's Resurrección form. Our true power."

Ichigo's wide eyes said it all.

"Resurrección?"

Nnoitra chuckled.

"Might as well tell ya. We arrancar seal our former selves in our blades. When we release 'em, we regain our full abilities and powers on top of what we already got."

"Meaning?"

A wicked laugh.

"Meaning you have no chance of beating me!"

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Nope." Came his reply, casually swinging at her, as if she were nothing but a nuisance.

Halibel rolled away from the incoming strike, and leapt into the air.

Her cero scored his back, making him hiss in pain.

"Come now, Nnoitra Jiruga." She said this with mockery, hovering in place, palm smoking from the blast. "Wouldn't you rather fight me at full power?"

In response, he came up after her.

She shot into the sky as he pursued her, breaking the dome in the process...

Ichigo and the girls just stared up after them....

--

Halibel landed atop a pillar.

A small breath escaped her.

"Now-

"Before we start this, I got a question." Interrupted Nnoitra.

She arched a blond eyebrow.

"You may ask it."

Momentarily, he straightened his posture."Why the hell are ya helpin' that shinigami?" The matter had been nagging at him for some time now, despite his battle lust.

She shook her head and sighed.

"That is because I-

Her words were caught up in the wind, and blown away.

Only Nnoitra heard them, and his eye went wide as an indistinguishable shadow loomed over him.

"You gotta be shittin' me...

Black light danced in her fingertips.

"Cero Oscura."

--

Everyone felt the massive burst of reaitsu high above them. It was like a massive weight crashing down upon them. Orhime fell to her knees, unable to take it. Ichigo felt his knees nearly give out. Nel just gasped.

Halibel had used her release.

A terrible, bloodcurdling scream pierced the air, causing everyone to shiver.

Seconds later, Nnoitra came plummeting down to earth, pushed down by what looked to be a black light...

KKRAM!

He hid the sands with a massive explosion.

The smoke parted, to reveal a charred and broken skeleton.

Halibel descended from the dome seconds later...

Holding her side. Blood was leaking through her fingertips, thin rivulets of crimson plipping down onto the sands made a face as one of the droplets landed in his mouth, and he invouluntarily swallowed. But it was soon made clear to even the most inexperienced of alles. She was bleeding heavily.

Her vision swam before her very eyes, and she felt herself wobble in midiar for but a moment...

And then lost control completely.

"Shit...

She began to fall.

Ichigo hissed in surprise.

"Crap!"

Her fall was arrested when she hit something...

Warm.

A pair of arms curled around her protectively, tight, but not to tight. She was being held bridal style, of this much she was aware. Blinking, hazy green eyes met concerned brown. It was Ichigo. The moment he had seen her fall-

He had caught her.

"Kurosaki...

"Hang in there." He consoled her, but winced as he saw the extent of her wound. "Y-You'll be fine."

"I highly doubt that." The current Terecera espada murmurred

The shinigami daijo remained silent as they descended, and upon doing so all but sprinted to Inoue.

"Please! I need you to-

The dome snapped over them without a second thought.

Rapidly, the flesh knitted itself shut...

"Hurry...hissed Halibel, wincing in pain, as even that breath caused her an unspeakable amount of agony.

Neliel seemed uneasy as well.

"She's right, someone's-

Orihime let out a startled cry, as she was suddenly seized from behind.

It was an arrancar!

Stark sighed, as Ichigo and Nel lunged for him.

"My apologies. I truly abohr such methods-

He dissapeared before either espada or vizard could get him.

Their blades hit empty sand.

Aizen's declaration that they were trapped here rang out now.

Ichigo spat a curse, then glanced longingly to the tower.

"Ulquiorra...

The shield vanished seconds later.

"Well...

Halibel blinked, then stretched a few times, unaware that she was all but topless, if not for her mask. The skin of her hip was a tad burned, but other than that, it would be alright. That and the fact that Ichigo had turned a beet red color by this point.

"Good. That feels better."

She noticed the disappointed look Ichigo was wearing.

They were apparently stuck here for the time being.

"Well, I'm ready."

He blinked twice in confusion. However it was apparent that Neliel understood the espada's meaning right away, judging from her gasp. Ichigo, apparently did not.

"Eh?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Are you _truly_that dense, Kurosaki?"

Nel now place one hand on his shoulder, delicate fingertips digging in ever so gently.

"Ichigo, we're going to help you rescue Inoue."

The vizard needed no further encouragement.

In a bolt, he was off!

With his two new allies easily matching his stride.


	6. Attack

**Weeeeeellll, this hasn't been updated in awhile, has it? That being said, here ya go!**

"A heart? You humans persist about it so, and yet, I do not see it. Would I find it if I broke open your skull? If I tore open your chest, would I find it there?"

_'Ulquiorra!'_

A low rumbling cut off his musings. Inoue took this opportunity to scramble backwards, and out of harms way, as the trembling became a full out shaking, then a quaking, as a monstrous spiritual pressure tore itself into existence. Moments later, the quake subsided, albeit briefly. He hadn't long to wait for its source. Seconds into the silence, Kurosaki Ichigo, fully healed, and bankai at the ready, burst into the tower

"Ulquiorra," Ichigo muttered as he stalked into the room. He'd gotten here first, ahead of Nel and Halibel. The former was assisting Rukia in delaying Rudobon and the other hollow's outside. He'd lost track of Halibel altogether when he'd burst through the wall and begun his ascent.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo's molars began to painfully grind against one another. He couldn't stand it. The sight of Ulquiorra, just the sight of him the sound of his cold, calculating words, vaunting superiority, it was too much to bear. The two of them stood apart from each other as sunlight poured in through the balcony of Aizen's former throne room, silhouetting Ichigo in the hole his entrace had created. Ulquiorra stood calmly at the other end of the hall, his hands in his pockets, his eyes closed.

One, in the light.

The other, in the dark. Barring Ichigo's path to Orihime. A surge of hatred welled up inside the vizard's chest. So much so that Tensa Zangetsu was visibly humming from the strain of the reaitsu being bled upon it's opaque edge.

"Do you wish to kill me, Kurosaki Ichigo?"

"Damn straight," Ichigo yelled, ripping his zanpakuto around in an aggresive arc, "Ulquiorra!"

The two of them stood their grounds, Ulquiorra calm and motionless, Ichigo practically trembling in anger.

"Does this trouble you, boy," the other Arrancar said calmly, his emerald eyes opening as he turned away from Orihime. "I'm simply performing my duty…"

Ulquiorra slid his own blade out and slowly pointed its tip across the room.

"…to kill you with my own hands. After all, protecting Las Noches and killing you...go hand in hand."

"TEME!" Ichigo roared and rushed forward, his arm slashing outward as he approached Ulquiorra. The two blades crashed against each other, Ulquiorra sliding back on his heels slightly, before the collision launched them away from Orihime, who was nearly blown away in the force of the resulting gale. As they slammed through the outer wall, Ulquiorra remained stoic. His eyes showed no surprise at the strength of Ichigo's strike. He had completely expected this sudden increase in power, and he was more than prepared for it.

Ulquiorra suddenly planted his feet and stopped Ichigo from pushing him back any further. The green-eyed hollow shoved his _katana _forward, pushing Ichigo back and up into the air. Ulquiorra darted forward to attack, his blade now slinging outwards against Ichigo's. But the boy was no longer there, instead, he had somehow maneuvered behind Ulquiorra, and for the first time, the espada felt a prick of pain.

Ichigo immediately began to force Ulquiorra back, his blade lashing out, strike after strike. Ulquiorra was forced to dodge the slashes until he regained control of his right arm once more. He was quickly blocking each attack easily, his body retreating so that he could place some distance between the two of them and prepare for a counter-attack.

Ichigo quickly slashed downward, a gigantic _getsuga _blasting at Ulquiorra. The Arrancar flipped his body backwards, his coattails flying upwards as the horn on his mask barely rose above the swathe of dark energy. Ichigo's attack blasted through the far wall, and Ulquiorra retaliated with his a _cero, _the green wave roaring downwards from his fingertip. Ichigo brought his arm up, his zanpakuto catching onto the blast before he tossed it aside with a flick of his arm. He rushed forward again, once more slashing wildly at Ulquiorra, cutting through another cero with ease.

While Ichigo's strength had only marginally increased, his speed had practically doubled since their last encounter It was no surprise – after all, he had recovered from a near death experience, and one's body would only become stronger after such an event. Now, Kurosaki Ichigo was now a deadly blur of black and orange.

Unfortunately for him, Ulquiorra was _still_ faster.

The green-eyed Espada suddenly dropped down towards the floor, Ichigo's blade zipping over the tip of his mask as he fell, claiming a tip of the horn as it swept past. Ulquiorra slammed into the ground, only to rebound in the opposite direction. Ichigo plummeted head-first towards him, the tip of his blade pointing directly at his opponent's forehead. Ulquiorra threw his left hand upwards, the length of Ichigo's zanpakuto meeting resistance in the form of his palm.

Brown eyes widened as his sword locked into place within Ulquiorra's hand, the force of their collision creating a small crater beneath his opponent. The Arrancar suddenly yanked him, sword and all, downwards, pulling their bodies closer together. With a flash of movement, Ulquiorra's blade was rammed through Ichigo's stomach. The brown-eyed vizard looked on in shock, his teeth grinding against each other.

And then Ichigo was gone, leaving only an afterimage impaled upon Ulquiorra's blade as his opponent's zanpakuto was torn from the Arrancar's grip. His eyes widened in surprise, but it was far too late. Much too late.

_!!_

Ulquiorra didn't have time to block the strike as Ichigo suddenly reappeared in front of him, _Tensa_ _Zangetsu _screaming downwards against Ulquiorra's chest. Ulquiorra flew backwards as blood spilled from his fresh wound, the crimson liquid falling thickly upon the floor in front of him. He slid to a stop and struggled for breath as he looked at Ichigo. The latter stood defiantly, chest heaving lightly as he breathed. Irritated, Ulquiorra snapped his arm downwards, smashing a crater in the floor.

He'd been injured. And the boy was outmaneuvering him.

Ichigo reappeared to the right, unharmed, and smirking.

"Looks like I can cut you now, Ulquiorra. Your Hierro isn't so tough after all!"

"So," he said, straightening himself. "I see you've improved. I'd even fo so far as to say that I've underestimate you...boy."

"Underestimated me?" Ichigo scoffed again as he looked at Ulquiorra, "More than you know, Ulquiorra."

They stared at each other from across the room, Ulquiorra's calm eyes rivaling Ichigo's smugh ones. A soft wind blew in from the hole that the _cero _had blown through the wall, sending the a curtain of dust tumbling across the white tiles of the floor. Their eyes met, clashing, causing an almost palpable tension to fill the room.

"I see." Ulquiorra now allowed himself the faintest hint of a smile. "You must be quite proud of yourself. To keep up with me on this level, that is."

"?!"

_Ba-dump._

It happened in the blink of an eye. The dull punch of sonido was the only warning Ichigo received, then TTensa Zangetsu slammed its flat edge agains the steel of Ulquiorra's zanpaktou. But despite having blocked the blade, Ichigo simply wasn't fast enough to _fully_ counter in time, and by then, Ulquiorra's forefinger was already pressing into the back of his shihakusho.

His brown eyes widened in surprise as a swirl of light sizzled at his chest.

The neon green _cero _roared forward and tore against Ichigo's body. The attack had been too close for him to block, much less avoid; he had no choice but to take the strike directly to his chest. He flew back in agony as the wave ripped at his face and chest, burning away from his flesh. The blast seemed to last for aeons before blowing past him as gravity took over, his body spiraling towards the ground limply.

"Kurosaki-kun...." Inoue's cry was just that, a faint whisper as he hit the sand with a thud, his limbs trembling slightly as his body struggled to overcome the shock. He immediately struggled to rise, jabbing the tip of his zanpakuto into the ground and forcing himself up from his back.

"_Oi_," Ichigo spat as blood bespeckled his lips and chin, flecking his bare chest and the remains of his hakama. "You think _this_ is enough to kill _me_?"

"Impressive." Ulquiorra blinked, slowly. "You can still move?"

_"Getsuga....Tenshou!"_

Ichigo suddenly slashed upwards with his zanpakuto, the black crescent causing Ulquiorra to leap back out of harms way. The vizard gritted his teeth against the blazing explosion of pain as he forced himself back to his feet.

"More than that! I'm about to kick your ass, Ulquiorra!"

"Hmph. Is that so?" Ulquiorra inquired as the shinigami wobbled in front of him. "You speak well of yourself, considering that you're about to die, Kurosaki Ichigo."

"You think so?" Ichigo spat, but at the same time, made no effort to attack. "I think you'd be surprise...Ulquiorra."

"You're bluffing." Ulquiorra stated suddenly, buzzing forward to seize Ichigo by the neck. Powerless to resist, the vizard gagged as the hollow hoisted his limp form up, crushing his windpipe with his bare hand, his sword set to impale the wound left by his _cero_. And still, Ulquiorra applied pressure, even as his katana pricked the vizard's scarred chst."You've barely the strength to stand, let alone fight."

Ichigo angrily slashed at the hand that held him, but to no avail.

"And now-

"Perhaps he is finished." A female voice intruded suddenly. "However,"

Ulquiorra suddenly lashed out at an invisible enemy to his left, his movements cutting off their conversation, his hand dropping his prey to the tiled floor, where he remained, sprawled out upon the ground. Ulquiorra quickly spun around and slashed again behind him, but he once more sliced into the vacant air. A third attempt yielded a similar result, the green-eyed Arrancar looking as though he was swatting at a fly that wasn't there. A moment of stillness passed when a trio of thick black gashes suddenly blossomed upon his chest, each one mere inches away from the other, each one ripping a considerable tear in the fabric of his attire.

The remains of his coat flopped to the floor, leaving him barechested, and prominently displaying his tattoo and hollow hole. Still, the quarta espada stared into empty air, as if he were waiting for a ghost to appear.

He hadn't long to wait.

"I," A now fully reclothed Halibel continued quietly as she appeared between the two with a whisper, much to the surprise of both vizard and arrancar, "am quite capable of handling you myself, Ulquiorra."

Ichigo could only blink.

"H-Halibel-san?!"

Ulquiorra scowled for the first time.

"What is the meaning of this, Tia Harribel." It wasn't a question. His glare demanded answeres, but instead of giving them, as a lesser arrancar would, Halibel only batted her eyelashes, and made and amused clicking sound with her tongue.

"You're disrespecting me, Ulquiorra. Have you forgotten that _I_ am the tercera, and you, merely the quarta? And yet you would still dare to speak to me as if I am your superior?"

Ulquiorra didn't reply. But his murderous glare conveyed his feelings entirely.

"Very well then." With a flick of her wrist, Halibel unsheathed her oddly shaped sword. "I see you're in no mood for words, and to be honest, neither am I." In a flash, she pointed the katana down towards the floor. A bluish yellow reiatsu began to surge about her.

"Henceforth, my blade will do the talking."

"!!"

"Attack, Tiburon!"

**_Next time: Tercera vs Quarta?! Above the dome!_**


	7. Tercera vs Quarta I

**Tercera vs Quarta?! Above the dome!**

**_Like the waves lapping against the shore..._**

_"Something's troubling you, isn't it."_

_Ulquiorra glanced over his shoulder._

_"No. It's nothing. I'm merely curious about that shinigami."_

_She wrapped her arms around his bare chest. He maked no effort to resist, instead he draped an arm around her._

_"The one who shows up here every now and then?"_

_"..."_

_**...your footprints vanish...**_

"Attack, Tibur...

"OIIIIIII!" A familair voice yawned angrily, interrupting the release phrase. "The hell's all this ruckus, Ulquiorra?! How in the hell am I s'posed to sleep with all these friggin'.... _explosions?!"_

A massive _explosion_cut Halibel off as the southern wall chose that moment to violently explode, spraying a hail of plaster debris outwards. Unprepared for the sudden cero blast, the tower lilted sharply to the side, nearly throwing Ichigo and Orihime off balance and into the roiling desert below. Likewise, Halibel was also forced to claim a handhold when up abruptly became down, and the tower snapped free of its restraints. As everyone struggled to maintain their footing, only Ulquiorra paused, and turned his head towards the source of the sound.

"I did not ask you to interfere, Yammy."

"Don't be such a party pooper." The massive arrancar laughed around a wide grin, now emerging from the smoke his entrance had created. His gaze fixated solely on Ichigo, who was leaning precariously over the edge to maintain his grip on Orihime's hand. "That shinigami kid looks like he's gotten pretty strong. Lemme have a whack at him."

"...I see. It seems you've recovered."

"Heh. Maybe so."

"Enough." Halibel snapped suddenly. "If you want to wreak havoc, then do so on your own time, Yammy. But stay out of my fight. Unless you'd prefer to die, that is."

"Eeeeeh?" The decima espada arched an eyebrow, turned his gaze towards the blond, as if only now noticing her. "What the hell? Ulquiorra, what's this bitch still doin' here, huh? I thought she left with the others."

"I said, enough." Halibel repeated. "I won't be distracted by your antics, Yammy. Now...Attack." She declared resolutely, her jacket burning itself away as steam filled reaitsu began to rise from her body. "Tiburon!"

Ulquiorra threw himself forward at the last instant, desperate to prevent the inevitable from occurring, hoping that eitherr Yammy's unexpected entry, or his sudden charge would be enough to startle Halibel into hesitating. If he had just a second more, then perhaps...perhaps...

It wasn't enough.

He didn't make it in time. The heart shaped torrent of aqua had already engulfed Halibel, and then it was done. His knees threatened to buckle beneath him as her spiritual pressure ripped itself free of the restraint she had been actively exercising. Immense, was an understatement. An instant before he could register the change, a huge fin of white cut itself out of the swell. White static filled his vision as the cero engulfed his body, staining his skin a malignant yellow.

Ulquiorra crashed through the wall of yet another pillar, sunlight pouring in from the fissure his body had created. He leapt to his feet, ignoring the blood that leaked from the large slash that tore its way across his chest. Halibel buzzed into view then, her still damp figure drenching the quarta espada in her shadow.

"Using your own cero at the last second to defend." Halibel stared down at him imperiously, water beading from her face to her cheeks, creating the facade that she was crying. "A most prudent decision." She stepped into the light then, revealing herself. "If you hadn't, you'd be dead."

Ichigo _felt _his jaw drop, among other things. Not only had Halibel's _resurreccion _monstrously increased her spiritual pressure and attack power, but, but, but....where in kami's name had all her clothes gone?! She was practically wearing a skirt made of bones! What the hell was this?!

"EH?!"

Ulquiorra, however, remained unfazed.

"Cease your prattling, boy. You have matters of your own to worry about."

No sooner had he said this, than a shadow fell over the vizard. Halibel stepped forward, only to find her path barred by Ulquiorra, who forced her backwards with a precise series of slashes. Ichigo whipped himself around, narrowly evading the massive fist that slammed into the tile he'd occupied a second ago. Upheaved by the impact, Orihime toppled backward, flailing her arms for balance as she pinwheeled at the edge of the opening.

"Now,"Snarling, Yammy advanced on Ichigo, who was forced to turn his attention away from Inoue as the espada lashed out at him again. "How about I take some payback of my own for you taking my arm?!"

Ichigo easily blocked Yammy's strike with the flat of Tensa Zangetsu, and though the impact created a small crater under his feet, the vizard remained firm. Emotionless brown eyes bored into Yammy's smug stare as the signature black light of a swelling Getsuga Tenshou began to build up inside the black blade.

"Even if I'm injured, I can still handle you."

Yammy only laughed.

"That so? Then how 'bout _this?!"_

Ichigo jerked his head to the right, the bala whisking past him with startling speed. Too late, he realized, Yammy hadn't been aiming for him. Now, as Inoue toppled out into the arid air of Hueco Muendo, Ichigo froze. Defend himself or rescue her, he knew that he wasn't going to have the time to do both, only one or the other. Inoue couldn't fly, which made the decision all the more painful.

Gritting his teeth, he leapt out after Inoue, seized her by the wrist, and after muttering a swift apology, roughly tossed both of them back inside the ruined pillar, sagging over moments later as his body gave out to the pain.

_'Damnit! Not...now...!'_

And then Yammy's hands closed around him.

"Nrgh!"

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Yammy grinned paying no heed to the pleading cries of Inoue, nor did he show mercy to Ichigo's screams. Whirling with surprising speed for one of his bulk, he swatted the human girl away with a vicious slap to the face. She hit the ground with a sharp crack, and lay eerily still.

"Inoue!" Ichigo howled, but before he could break free, Yammy had already returned his full attention to tormenting the vizard. Clutching Ichigo's limp form in one fist, he began to pull on his right arm, eliciting another scream. Instead, he squeezed all the harder, crushing the vizard's between his fists, the audible sound of breaking bones, coming with a pained, erratic pop.

"How's it feel, huh?! Now...off it comes, shinigami!"

"Yamete." Inoue whispered weakly, seeing it all through a dim haze. "Don't...

"Que Suerte!"

With this gleeful declaration, and a wet pop, the arm came free, directly below the shoulder. Her eyes widened in surprise as her limb flew away from his body, blood spilling out from around the red muscle and white bone. Ichigo watched it flail limply through the air for a few seconds before it hit the ground and rolled to a stop.

Only then could he find his voice and scream. He tried to clutch the wound, but Yammy's grip prevended him from doing so.

"Aww...does it hurt?" The decima's booming voice filled Ichigo with rage, but there was nothing he could do. "Good! Now you know how I felt, ypu piece of trash!" Violently tossed to the ground, Ichigo spat out a thick wad of blood as his body slammed into the unforgiving marble floor.

But Yammy wasn't finished. Ichigo could only groan in pain as the arrancar's heel now found his ribs. Launched into the wall by the roundhouse kick, he rolled to a stop, weakly gasping for air.

"Oi, Ulquiorra!" Yammy bellowed placing one foot upon the vizard's back, and keeping it there. "Let's just kill him already! He's nothin' but trash without that mask of his!"

Faster than Halibel could blink, Ulquiorra broke away from their deadlock, darted away from her, reappeared to the right, and raised his finger towards Ichigo. Less than a half-heartbeat later, the green stream of energy roared towards Ichigo, who could only remain where he lay on his stomach, too injured to move as he was swallowed whole.

As such, Ichigo gasped in shock as _another _Arrancar leapt in, batting the c_ero_ away as if it were nothing. The new fighter glanced down at her hand, now slightly charred from the attack, and scoffed before running it back through her shoulder length black hair.

"Oi, Ulquiorra-teme!" She barked, her mismatching eyes flickering across the floor to where the quarta espada stood. "What the hell do ya think you're doing, raising your sword against someone who's following Halibel-sama?!"

Ichigo stared at the newcomers in awe. Three of them altogether, each wearing the signature white hakama belonging to arrancar. The one with the dark hair, the one who had rescued him, stole a glance at his missing arm, and grimaced.

"I appreciate your assistance, ladies." Halibel's appreciable voice cut through the haze. "Apache. Sun-Sun. Mila Rose."

"Whaddya want us to do, Halibel-sama?" One of them inquired.

Batting her eyelashes, the tercera turned her attention towards the hulking form of the decima espada. Yammy just grinned, despite the fact that his prey was still alive. He was even stamping towards Ichigo now. Oddly enough the notion of harm coming to him...displeased her.

"Remove this oaf from the battlefield, at once."

"Understood!"

Scarcely had they said this, then all three fraccion vanished.

Yammy sniffed at the air suddenly, as the.

"Eh? Somethin' smells pretty damn good...

"That'd be you." Twisting his head around, Yammy could see nothing but red over his opponents' maniacal smirk. All three fraccion had a hand pressed into his back, and each had a fully charged cero in said palm. As one, the multicolored tri focused cero erupted, spraying the arrancar with a swathe of orange, purple, and red light. To say that it was painful was an understatement.

"Ja ne," Apache grinned, speaking as one with with Mila Rose and Sun-Sun, "Decima espada!"

The combined blast forced him backwards violently and he struggled to regain control of his body. Both of them knew that the attack was nowhere near fatal, but they also equally knew that Yammy was going to be completely open to an attack from any angle. The light of the _cero _cleared and he feebly blocked above his head, his massive forearm blindly protecting himself from an attack that hadn't come yet. The gambit paid off as Apache's fist foot crashed into his wrist. Yammy grunted in irritation, and reached out to seize the lively fraccion.

Apache wasn't there.

Mila Rose rammed her zanpaktou into his back. The blade only penetrated a centimeter or so, before it met with resistance. Bellowing loudly, Yammy whirled, but again, his fist closed on empty air. He now turned to see that Sun-Sun was the perpetrator, having rammed the sai of her zanpaktou into his lower left pectoral, but like Mila Rose, she too, was unable to draw blood.

Muttering a curse, the decima espada lashed out at the lithe fraccion. Again, his fist closed on empty air. This time however, something rammed into him from behind, startling him with its swiftness and he toppled forward to the ground. Much to his surprise, the floor gave way before him, causing his eyes to widen in dismay.

Futiley, he stole a glance towards the outside.

He caught a flash of white, just at the edges of his peripheals. Then the arrow slammed into Yammy's back, forcing him that last crucial step forward and towards the gaping hole. Ishida Uryuu calmly adjusted his glasses behind his bow.

"In case you're wondering, I broke all the floors leading up to this one. Mala Suerte. Enjoy your trip, arrancar."

_"Daaaaaaaaamniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"_

"This is pointless, Halibel." Ulquiorra remarked from across the room, his emerald eyes briefly leaving the scene of battle to find the tercera's gaze once more, the sounds of Yammy's battle fading as he plummeted to the bottom of the tower. "You've sent them to their death's."

"If that's so, then you'll soon join them." Ishida leveled his bow towards the cuarta espada, his eyes darting to where Inoue was now hastily tending to Ichigo's severed arm, but the shinigami was adamantly refusing her help, and it looked like he'd be up and about soon, just as soon as the wounds to his chest were healed. "I've been filled in on your little civil war. Once Kurosaki's healed, if its three against one, then you're more then likely to end up dead, hollow."

"Unlikely, _Quincy."_ Ulquiorra countered, now turning his gaze to Halibel. _"You_ may defy lord Aizen all you wish, but you cannot hope to best me, now matter how many allies you summon. And yet, even so, I cannot help but wonder why you would even bother to betray us in the first place," He turned his gaze upwards to her, noting that her right had begun to curl into a fist when his junniper green gaze had strayed to Ichigo. "Tell me, is it for that human boy over there? I did not think that one such as you would lower yourself to mingle with _their_ kind."

A brief flicker of rage danced across her eyes.

"What I say, what I _do_...is none of your business, Ulquiorra." Leveling her sword towards him, her lips curled themselves around the words, forming a vicous scowl that rivaled the espada's own. "And as I have already said, my _Tiburon_ will do the talking."

Ulquiorra wasted no time in attacking, snapping his finger forward and firing out a quartet of rapid bala blasts. Halibel twisted her body out of the way, but left herself open to a second attack. Ulquiorra took this opportunity and flung himself forward, his sword seeking to drive a deep groove into the bare flesh of her stomach.

It met with resistance, and stopped.

He was wide open.

_Damn._

"Hiriviendo." Halibel hissed through clenched teeth. Ulquiorra raised a hand to counter the burning current, wincing slightly as the boiling waters scorched his palm raw.

"Licht regen!" Ishida barked, reappearing to his right, launching another hail of arrows, to which Ulquiorra retaliated with a cero.

**_...Like the setting sun..._**

_"It's not right." _

_"Your promotion, or Neliel's dissapearance."_

_"Both." She turned away from the moonlight, her eyes still damp with unshed tears. "I know that Nnoitra had a hand in this. But what troubles me, is your apathy on the subject."_

_"Are you suggesting that I do not care about this matter?"_

_The ghost of a smirk was nowhere to be seen now. It had been beaten down, torn and ripped away by the harsh realities of the world. In place of that same gracious smile, there was only a world weary frown and whispered sigh._

_"Precisely. I haven't seen you smile since Aizen's arrival, Ulquiorra. Which is why-_

_His eyes widen as she places the ring in his hand._

_"It seems as though our ten year partnership has come to an end, Ulquiorra Shciffer."_

_He stared at her for a moment, wanting to say so much in that instant. But he could not. He had sworn his entire being in the service of Lord Aizen, and his amibtions. There was nothing that could be done about it now._

_Nothing._

_And so, even as his soul screamed foul obscenities wailed its silent distress for none to hear, Ulquiorra remained stoic. Even when an agonizing howl threatened to tear its way out of his throat, he kept the facade in place._

_"So it would seem, Tia Hallibel."_

_"When next we cross blades, it will be as enemies. Not lovers."_

**_....you fade away...._**

Ulquiorra flashed forward and swung his zanpakuto down, the _katana _slamming into the ground where Halibel was just standing. With an angry buzz, she appeared behind him, the tip of her massive broadsword pricking into his back, just as Tensa Zangetsu had once done. Her lips parted.

_"La gota."_

Ulquiorra gritted his teeth and fought the urge to scream as the bullet shaped swell of water slammed into his body, slashing its way out of her own sword. He spun away from her, his sandals skidding along the tiles below as he retreated. A sudden torrent of blood began to pour out of his back, staining his entire right sleeve red from the shoulder down.

"Licht Regen." Ishida declared, announcing the name of the attack he had just launched.

Scowling, Ulquiorra discarded the remnants of his hakama, leaving him fully barechested.

"Now we're even," Halibel said, her voice devoid of humor. Her face was frighteningly calm; Ulquiorra grimaced slightly as he shifted his weight, his mind trying to figure out where she would be going next. You could never read her face, not even lord Aizen could, when she got serious like this.

"You said," she began, her blade pointing directly at him, "that this was a pointless battle, one that I will lose? I don't see it at all. Let me remind you of this difference that separates our rankings, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra didn't even have time to bring his zanpakuto up to block. Halibel had been in front of him and then she was gone, her body vanishing with a dull thump. He knew that she would be appearing behind him, so he'd immediately turned around, just in time to receive a strike to the chest. The cut, a shallow slice reaching from his right clavicle to his left hip, forced him backwards almost to the edge of the courtyard. He doubled over as soon as he was away from her, his free hand coming up to his wound, applying pressure in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding.

Halibel was on top of him again, her blade slashing sideways at his face. He swiftly leapt back and into the air, losing a few strands of hair as the massive pata-like sword passed through the air. He flew up and backwards in retreat when she was suddenly in front of him again, her zanpakuto rocketing downwards with tremendous speed, both of her fists gripped around the massive handle. Ulquiorra reached up and blocked the strike at the last minute, his sword clashing against hers in defense, his palm spurting blood as she drove through his hierro as if it were little more than liquid.

"Cero." Halibel spat the word with every drop of venom she possesed. The strength of her attack, doubled with the golden blast of reaitsu behind it, suddenly doubled, forcing Ulquiorra downwards, his body spiraling head over feet as he plummeted towards the ground. Halibel watched his smoking form descend for a moment longer, then raised her blade to the heavens, a wisp of mist swirling about its tip.

_"Cascada."_

Ulquiorra stood up on shaking legs, just in time to see the deluge about to swallow him whole. His hastily prepared cero found itself stifled as the high pressure current ripped into him from all sides. Battered, bloodied, and soaking wet, he looked up at Halibel, the tercera still hovering above him in the air. He could already tell that he'd broke three ribs from impact of the strike; he'd almost forgotten how incredibly powerful Halibel Tia could be when she was truly serious.

"Enough." She commanded authoritavely, another cero primed and ready to be launched from _Tiburon_. "If you continue as you are now, this next blow will be your last. You are no match for me, and the Quincy certainly isn't making it any easier for you."

"I see." Ulquiorra spread his arms wide, a faint scowl darkening his features. "Then if you've truly cast aside all loyalty to our cause, their is no point in restraining myself any further. Come," With a faint rasp, he pointed his katana towards Halibel, the steel glinting in harsh artificial light as he beckoned for her to follow. "Let us take this elsewhere, Tia Halibel."

No sooner had he said this, then he shot through the opening his cero had created. Ichigo swore virulently and jerked his gaze skyward as Halibel raced after Ulquiorra....And then the sky itself shattered, and they were lost from sight.

--

"Are you afraid?" He asked her, as they stood atop the dome.

"Hardly." Halibel retorted.

"I see. Then allow me to elaborate on why I have brought you here. You see there are two things forbidden under the dome of Las Noches, two acts that warrant severe punishment, even death at the hands of lord Aizen himself, should they be committed. One, is an espada's cero, the Gran Rey cero. The other is that the Espada one through four are forbidden to release their zanpakutou beneath the dome. Both are so powerful they would destory Las Noches itself."

Thrusting his zanpakutou outward, Ulquiorra allowed himself a faint smirk. "Now watch and learn well, traitor I will now prove the distance between us."

"Bind. Murcielago."

Black rain burst into the air, blotting out the moon and plunging everyone into darkness. Halibel stared up at the pillar in horrfified awe, focused on the two black wings that had just burst out of Ulquiorra's back and the new, complete helmet that rested firmly upon his cranium, lending the espada an almost vampiric appearance.

"H-His reiatsu..."down beneath the dome Inoue slumped to her knees, her eyes wided with horror and disbelief as the heavy spiritual pressure threatened to strangle her. Had Ichigo not placed himself firmly between the two, she might've died right then and there. "It's so heavy."

"Don't tremble." The espada began, swiveling his chilling gaze to fall once more upon this former lover."Don't break your stance. Stay aware of your surroundings." Slowly, the espada gathered light within his palms, and began to shape it as he so chose, forming two thin lances of pure juniper green radiance.

His gaze found hers once again.

"And don't let your guard down for an instant."

"Neither should you."

Ulquiorra frowned as he observed Ishida ascending to the top of the dome as well.

A trivial matter.

"Prepare to die, Halibel Tia."

**_Next time: Blood is thicker than water...so is hate._**


	8. Tercera vs Quarta II

Ichigo flinched as the reaitsu surged above the dome, punctuated by yet another explosion. He could barely even breathe, let alone think. His mind was filled with a strange haze, the kind he'd felt when he'd nearly died at Ulquiorra's hands. He was only dimly aware of Ishida's reaitsu.

Throughout it all, he felt a strange sensation. It was as if something we pulling him towards the opening, but he hadn't moved an inch. Ichigo felt a strong desire to go up there, a strong desire to...to...to...

**_Stand. Stand. Shake off your injuries and stand._**

Unaware of the changes that were taking place in her friend, Inoue feebly clasped her palms together and prayed for Ishida's safety.

_'Ishida-kun..._

**_Get up. _**The restless voice commanded again.

This time, Ichigo obeyed.

**_Go to her._**

"I'm going up there." Ichigo declared suddenly, sitting up. Rather, he tried to, only to fall back down when Inoue's Shun Sun Rikka gave him a powerful jolt. He didn't so much as flinch. He tried to get up again, and met with the same results. He got up again. And again. And again.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue raised her hands in a feeble attempt at protestation. "You're....you're not healed yet! I haven't finished with your-

The healing dome abruptly shattered as Ichigo smashed a closed fist into it. Tearing his way out, the vizard forced his way past it. Reaching up to his face, he donned the mask, his growl burbling slightly with the concentration of hollow reaitsu. He stepped towards the gaping opening in the wall, and stared intently at the break in sky.

He needed to be up there.

**_"I'm going." _**He repeated blankly, pushing past Inoue with a single mindedness. **_"I...have...to go."_**

--

Halibel skidded backwards, bleeding heavily from a wound that ran from her right hip to shoulder. It was a thin slice, but the injuries were starting to add up. She breathed harder as she felt her energy slip into the first stages of fatigue. She growled in irritation at the thought, voice bubbling slightly irritation.

"It seems that your _ressureccion_only increases your speed, Ulquiorra. Your blows have absolutely no strength behind them."

"You underestimate me, Halibel." The cuarta espada spread his wings about himself and forced Ishida's lastest volley of arrows away from his lower left pectoral, the leather-like appendage proving to be a more than adequate shield against the attack.

Darting back to a safe distance, the Quincy was in even worse shape, having already lost a hand to the espada's onslaught.

"It is precisely the opposite." Ulquiorra continued, quietly."Your association with that boy and his kind...has made _you_ weak." He brushed aside a strand of slick black hair as he continued to speak, continued to taunt them. "This is precisely why you, a hollow that has recovered its heart, will lose to someone like me."

"Is that so?" She replied. "Then why is it that you're trembling so?"

Ulquiorra made no reply. They circled one another, two predators, waiting for the next move, and neither willing to relinquish it. Whoever made the first step would either be at a disadvantage, or advantage from the start. _Then, _Ulquiorra paused, his lips parting briefly into a small smile.

"Again, you mistake me, Halibel. I am not trembling from fear of you. Rather, I am trembling...._from excitement."_

In an instant, in the blink of an eye, it was over. His hand was pressed to her neck, and she hadn't the time to register his movements. He stared into her widening teal eyes for a moment, absorbing all the shock and confusion that filled those matchless orbs. before angrily whipping around, his taut fingers finding a new target.

"Your efforts were in vain, Quincy. You've only hastened your death."

Ulquiorra swiftly removed his crimson soaked hand from Ishida's chest, ignoring the flecks of gore that spattered across his pristine white robe. Choking on his own blood, Ishida uttered one last curse, then lay still. With a contemptuous snort, Ulquiorra tossed the corpse aside, not caring as his blood slicked body slid off the dome and towards the ashen sands waiting below.

Halibel buzzed out of existence, and reappeared, cradling Ishida's broken form in her arms. As soon as she set him down, she knew that the boy was finished. Ulquiorra had torn apart his left lung, and now, the Quincy was choking on his own blood. Unbidden, she a first prick of anger.

The Quincy hadn't posed any real threat to Ulquiorra, but the possibility of being overwhelmed by Kurosaki's impending return was enough to warrant a swift dispatching of Ishida Uryuu. Three against one, as unlikely a situation as it was, was one that he did not care to experience again.

"Arran...car."

As Halibel stared down at Ishida, she felt a rare emotion.

Pity. The Quincy, knowing full well the consequnces of his actions, had taken a blow meant for her, and as a result, he was laying on death's door, instead of her. With a wound such as this, he wouldn't survive the next thirty seconds, let alone another minute.

"Don't give me your pity. It...was nothing." Ishida gasped this weakly. "I could see the expression on your face. That was...the only reason i did anything...You know...for a hollow...your facial expressions are surprisingly...human. Prove it to me and kill this hollow for Kurosaki, would you?"

Halibel wanted to ask him how she knew of her fascination with Shinigami, or how he knew that she was worried, but she didn't have the time. Ulquiorra had already launched himself at her with incredible speed, the quickness of his movements surprising her; for such a lean person, he moved as though his body weighed practically nothing.

She was forced to move away from the Quincy.

Halibel blocked as the energy spike connected, _Tiburon _shuddering in her hand against the strike. She placed her free hand against the backside of her sword to reinforce the block, but she found herself grimacing as the pike began to dig itself into her defense, the white sword splintering slightly under his onslaught. She leapt away and into the air, her feet skidding to a stop along the top of a nearby pillar.

When her eyes moved forward again, Ulquiorra was reappearing from the nothingness of _sonido, _his right arm raised and its hand equipped with another blazing green javelin, its tip about to pierce her throat. He really was trying to kill her.

Halibel's tanned leg swung out as she passed him, her armored shin planting itself into his side with an audible thunk, the impact forcing him away from her, and a potentially fatal blow. With nary a sound, Ulquiorra darted away and upwards, his hellish wings flapping for a moment before he immediately dived back towards the sand, his approach so fast that she didn't see it coming until it was too late.

Halibel had no choice but to take the attack, the powerful slash opening a slice down her belly. The gash ran down along her flat stomach, the centermost of the row of white denticles now missing. Her _hierro _proved strong enough to render the wound non-fatal, but her blood still stained the ground beneath her feet as she continued her leap backwards.

"Impressive," Halibel said, touching a gloved finger to the blood that was now trickling down her stomach. _"That_ strike was quite powerful. Would I be wrong in assuming that that blade of yours is comprised of densely concentrated _reiatsu?" _

_"Perhaps." _Ulquiorra replied, appearing directly behind her, a javelin to her throat as she gasped aloud in surprise for the second time. "But why should I tell any of my secrets to a dead woman?"

Halibel vanished suddenly, her body vanishing in a buzz of white and brown and blonde. She swiftly appeared behind her opponent and fired off a twin pair of _Gota, _the two missiles screaming through the air towards Ulquiorra's turned back. Without even turning around, the pike in his left hand stopped the duo of water bullets instantly, evaporating them into steam within a second as it passed through. The bat like arrancar turned around and lifted his hands, summoning not another pair of javelins, but two cero, the teal blasts already streaking towards her.

Halibel appeared above the blasts almost immediately, her tan body buzzing into existence a few inches in front of Ulquiorra's extended index finger. Her teal eyes widened in surprise as a swirl of shadow sizzled at her chest. The sneer parted his lips when next he spoke.

"_Cero Oscuras."_

The black _cero _roared forward and tore against Halibel's body. The attack had been too close for her to block, much less avoid; she had no choice but to take the strike directly to her chest. She flew back in agony as the dark wave ripped at her face and chest, her _resurrección _burning away from her flesh. The blast seemed to last for aeons before blowing past her as gravity took over, her body spiraling towards the ground limply.

She slammed into the dome, her ressurecion doing little to cushion her fall. Her body burned and screamed in pain, but the words were torn away from her before she could even cry out. It was all she could do to breathe, let alone move

"It's over, Halibel. You were a fool to cross blades with me."

A buzz of _sonído _sounded behind her, and she turned her head to find Ulquiorra poised to strike at her unprotected backside. Before she could complete her turn, however, Ulquiorra vanished again as a familair long black sword narrowly missed his neck. The shorter Arrancar reappeared a short distance away from her, his wings snapping open menacingly over the desert skyline.

"So you've come after all,"

Halibel jerked her gaze upward and felt the breath hitch in her throat at the sight of her savior. Her rescuer looked half dead, and that was an understatement. His left arm was little more than a stump, his body wore a ragged, bloodied shihakusho. His face lay hidden by a red white skull mask, from which golden black eyes blazed.

Ulquiorra turned his attention back to the newcomer.

"Kurosaki Ichigo."

"..."

The vizard didn't reply to the taunt, at least not in the verbal sense. Instead he stepped forward, defensively standing before Halibel, pointing Tensa Zangetsu towards her aggressor, clearly challenging him to a duel. Whatever emotions he might have been feeling remained unseen behind a facade, the mask hiding his such, Ulquiorra frowned at the lack of reply from the normally brash hybrid. Something was off here.

"No answer...huh. So, you've come to die in her place then."

_Again_, Ichigo didn't answer, he was already gone, the deft swish of shunpo the only sound of his impromptu exit. Less than a heartbeat latter, Tensa Zangetsu was upon Ulquiorra, the slender daito lunging out for his throat.

_He's faster than before._

Ulquiorra parried, and side-stepped another blow from the man in front of him, his green eyes widening slightly at the speed and strength behind the strike. While this boy in front of him had proven to be adept in the field battle, he had _never _possessed the ability to almost match speed with Ulquiorra, and certainly not in his release state. The vizard swung again, the blade arcing so fast that Ulquiorra didn't have time to dodge. The espada raised his hand and blocked the zanpakuto, the edge of the blade stopping against his pale palm. Ulquiorra's eyes widened further as he felt pain explode within his clenched fist. He quickly released the sword and leapt back as dark blood began to trickle out from a deep gash on his right hand.

_He cut me? In my ressurreccion? _Ulquiorra thought with incredulity. _Impossible._

Kurosaki Ichigo buzzed back into view, his body blocking the Arrancar's, his eyes glaring out coldly from behind the frightening grin of his Vizard mask. With a furious hiss, he swung his zanpakuto backwards, a black _Getsuga _rocketing out from the tip of his sword and immolating both the Espada and himself sword within the dark energy.

Ulquiorra beat the smoke away with a flap of his wings and emerged unharmed. His ascent was slow and purposeful, a deliberate attempt to provoke the vizard still lingering in the smoke down below. He hadn't long to wait. Ichigo was the first to move, another Getsuga ripping past.

Ulquiorra turned his head slightly, allowing his gaze to fall on the silent shinigami. Ichigo stared up at him, but made no attempt to pursue. No, it was almost as if _he_were the one waiting. Waiting for Ulquiorra to come at him on his own terms. It was a disconcerting notion.

"Your movements have improved, boy. Tell me, what did you do?"

Ichigo remained silent.

Put off, Ulquiorra swept down upon him, crisscrossing his javelins as he reappeared with a static punch. The vizard blankly stared into the face of death, even as the energy pikes descended. This slice would decapitate him, and that would be that.

The attack was not fatal. Ichigo had been able to force himself backwards hard enough to create an indent in the dome beneath him, causing the slash to simply cut his flesh instead of cleave him in half. His mask split diagonally across his face and the left half slid off, the tip of the arrancar's sword having cut his nose and cheek trough the bone of his hollow visor.

He leapt upwards with a swish, narrowly avoiding what would have been Ulquiorra's finishing blow. He did not breath heavily, he remained still as he watched Ulquiorra rise slowly and confidently into the air. He drew breath into his lungs and straightened his back as much as he could. His smile widened for a moment before fading, his teeth flashing brilliantly before he wiped his hand over his broken mask and repaired it.

He didn't move, even when the finger pressed into his back.

_"Cero Oscuras."_

Halibel balked as Ichigo calmly placed Tensa Zangetsu behind his back and was summarily slammed into the sand. Was he really foolish enough to take Ulquiorra's cero head on? It seemed he was, as Ichigo marched right out of the smoke, battered, bloodied, but still very much alive. Now, his arms were covered in a strange white substance, and his lost limb appeared to have returned, but as a clawed appendage, not a human hand.

With a monumental leap that carried him back to the precipiece of the dome, the vizard returned to the field of battle. Ulquiorra stared at the picture before him in complete and utter silence. Kurosaki had suffered greatly at the hands of the black cero. Ichigo was still _standing_, his injured upper body devoid of any clothing, the blast having disintegrated them. Several electrical burns marred his torso and arms, and the skin had been peeled off in more than a few places. In a couple of places Halibel could even see bone.

And still, he stood.

"How?" Ulquiorra murmurred, turning his head slightly to make eye-contact with the vizard. "How did you survive _my_ cero? How are you still standing after that?"

Ichigo didn't reply. He only uttered an inhuman shriek and launched himself at the startled Arrancar anew. He rained down on Ulquiorra a mind numbing series of blows that even Halibel had a difficult time reading, creating an intangible black blur about himself and the espada as he forced the bat like hollow towards the edge of the dome.

"Impossible." Halibel murmurred. "He's....pushing him back?"

It was an inconceivable sight. Ulquiorra, who had been on the verge of victory only a moment ago, was now _retreating_, his feet shuffling backwards as his eyes trained on the berserk Vizard in front of him. Ulquiorra knew that he could retreat, resort to another form of attack and continue his fight, but his mind was inexplicably filled with confusion as he looked into the dim, blank eyes of his opponent.

_What is this...How is that his movements have become so much sharper in such a sparse amount of time?_

Halibel was likewise perplexed. Ichigo hadn't so much as uttered a word since their battle had resumed. His movements were unnaturally precise, something that was again, unlike the basic hack and slash style he often utilized. How was this possible? With his current injuries, he, his body should not have been _conscious_, let alone capable of fighting at this level.

Ichigo twisted to the side, warding away a near miss from one of Ulquiorra's javelins'. It was then that Halibel was awarded a good, long, hard look at those black and gold eyes. There was nothing in them. Not the slightest trace of emotion. Nothing. Nothing at all. It was as if he were...

_Unconcious_.

Halibel balked at the sudden, illogical, realization. Ichigo was _unconscious_, and his body, his will to fight, his hatred of Ulquiorra, his determination was _still _carrying on the battle in his stead. Staggering back a step under Ulquiorra's assault, Ichigo wobbled for a moment, then rallied. Suddenly, he was parrying, defending,_ evading_, never once letting the lethal spear inside defenses that had been pockmarked with holes a moment ago.

_How is he doing this...?_

Ulquiorra scowled. This was becoming tiresome. He had landed two strikes against his opponent, but they were lucky at best; Kurosaki not only seemed un-phased by the attacks, but he appeared to have learned how Ulquiorra could break through his protection. He was combining both a rapid-fire offense and an impenetrable defense into a flurry of movement and Ulquiorra was having trouble figuring out how to get inside again.

_Why is he doing this? _

Ichigo spun and slashed vertically, hooking Tensa Zangetsu towards Ulquiorra's head. The black-haired Arrancar dodged narrowly, his cheek gaining a thin cut as the daito shot past. Ulquiorra smirked inwardly; Ichigo had clearly intended for that strike to connect and the missed strike left him wide open. Wordlessly, Ulquiorra opened his left palm and summoned another lance of lightning. He swiftly gripped it and swung both towards his opponent's exposed body. Even if the boy could regain his posture in time to evade the attack, Ulquiorra now held an extra blade. His opponent's defenses were as good as shattered.

_Where is his strength coming from?_

Ulquiorra's breath caught in his throat as Ichigo completed his revolution, a fully charged _cero _shining from between the now parted jaws of his mask. The red light blotted out all else, blinding him with its intensity, its spiritual pressure. Both Halibel and Ulquiorra gawked at the sight.

_Impossible!_

The bright ball of crimson light began to swell in front of Ichigo's face, the sphere of deadly energy swirling powerfully in front of the ghastly grin of his mask. Ulquiorra's eyes widened in surprise; he knew that the Vizards were part Hollow – in much the same way that an Arrancar was part Shinigami – but he hadn't known that they could use Hollow techniques.

He stood there in shock as the Vizard's _cero _bellowed forward at him. It was too close to dodge and he didn't have enough time to prepare a cero of his own to counter. All he could do was stand in silent outrage as the wide beam of destructive energy roared towards him.

For an instant, just an instant, Halibel dared to hope that the blast had ended it. He hadn't been given enough time to block the cero, and he hadn't fired off one of his own. Perhaps...perhaps...

The attack never landed.

The red light of the doom blast _melted _away from Ulquiorra's body, evaporating into harmless steam as the arrancar released an opaque wall of _reiatsu _that forced the vizard back on his heels. Several of the nearby towers shattered like crystals, their ruby exteriors crumpling under the immense wave of pressure. Halibel couldn't tell if this surge of power had cast the entire sky into darkness or if it had momentarily blinded her.

She was afraid it was the latter.

"_What...the hell?" _Halibel heard Ichigo hiss through a clenched jaw, saw him go to one knee under the sheer force of the reaitsu. Apparently, the shock had been enough to snap the vizard out of his daze. And he couldn't have had worse timing.

As her vision slowly returned, she was faced with a monster she could barely identify as Ulquiorra Schiffer. His lower body was coered in black fur, as were his clawed arms and feet. His helmet had become a pair of horns, his espada tattoo was now nowhere to be seen, his wider hollow hole now oozed what looked like black blood, and he and to top it all off, he had sprouted a vicious looking tail.

Cruel yellow eyes bored into them from green sclera. His wings blotted out the moon, and cast a looming shadow over Halibel and Ichigo. Both stood stone still, unable to believe what had just happened.

"_Resurrección," _Ulquiorra said calmly, "_Segunda Etapa."_

**_Next time: Hopless! The struggle to survive!_**


	9. Tercera vs Quarta Finale

**_Hopless! The struggle to survive!_**

Everyone felt the spiritual pressure. None moreso than Apache. This reaitsu didn't even feel like reaitsu. It was as if there were an ocean above the sky, threatening to drown them at the slightest provocation. It was Ulquiorra's reaitsu, and it was overwhelming Halibel-sama's.

Knowing that she couldn't remain in the same place for too long, Apache dared to steal a glance towards the dome. The reaitsu was exceptionally thick over there, preventing anyone from attempting an ascent to the sky above.

"Halibel-sama...

"I suggest you move." Sun-Sun called to her two companions from a nearby pillar. Moments later a large shadow fell over the two.

"Crap!"

"Orrrraa!" A grinning Yammy roared, his massive fist crashing into the space Apache and Mila Rose had occupied just a moment ago. "Hold still, you little cunts'! Hold still so I can squash ya already!"

"This is....really getting annoying." Mila Rose gasped. Apache seconded her sentiments. Despite each of them being in their release state, despite having the advantage of numbers, despite working together with near flawless teamwork, they hadn't been able to so much as slow Yammy down. The hulking espada waded through whatever they threw at him, laughing like a berserker.

"Let's use Allon." Sun-Sun's suggestion caused her fellow fraccion to do a double take.

"Are you nuts?! Allon doesn't _listen_ to us, remember?!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Sun-Sun...

"She's got a point." Mila Rose shrugged. "We might not be able to do anything, but I'm pretty sure this kind of fight is right up Allon's alley."

"If he listens to us, you mean."

_"He will."_ Mila Rose stated with such authority that Apache actually flinched for a moment.

"Fine. For Halibel-sama, then."

The three each placed their right hand over their left arm.

"Eh?" Yammy blinked as he watched the three each rip off their own left arm. "Whaddya little shits think yer-

**"Quimera Parca."**

--

"_What...the hell?" _Halibel heard Ichigo hiss through a clenched jaw, saw him go to one knee under the sheer force of the reaitsu. Apparently, the shock had been enough to snap the vizard out of his daze. And he couldn't have had worse timing.

As her vision slowly returned, she was faced with a monster she could barely identify as Ulquiorra Schiffer. His lower body was coered in black fur, as were his clawed arms and feet. His helmet had become a pair of horns, his espada tattoo was now nowhere to be seen, his wider hollow hole now oozed what looked like black blood, and he and to top it all off, he had sprouted a vicious looking tail.

Cruel yellow eyes bored into them from green sclera. His wings blotted out the moon, and cast a looming shadow over Halibel and Ichigo. Both stood stone still, unable to believe what had just happened.

"_Resurrección," _Ulquiorra said calmly, "_Segunda Etapa."_

"Fuck." Ichigo spit from behind the mask. "You've gotta be shitting me!"

"Does my second form surprise you?" Ulquiorra asked calmly. "Surely it isn't my secrecy about it? Or is this _jealousy_ I hear in your voice?"

"Kurosaki!" Halibel warned. "He's coming!"

Ichigo suddenly vanished from her peripheral vision just as Ulquiorra disappeared. Halibel looked behind him to see the vizard flying alongside their enemy, right hand moving at an insane speed as he struggled to block his strikes. With a muffled curse, Halibel buzzed towards them, appearing next to the two of them. She slashed downwards at Ulquiorra's shoulder, causing the other Arrancar to abort his attacks on Ichigo to avoid losing his arm. He turned and threw a speared hand at Ichigo at the same time he threw out a kick behind him to catch Halibel in the chest.

She fell backwards for a moment before vanishing, reappearing almost immediately next to Ulquiorra. He quickly ignited a lance, this one visibly more powerful than any he'd created before. He spun it around him, using it like a bo-staff to both block and strike. Ichigo was forced to abandon an attack to save his body from being bifurcated by the lightning rod, both he and Halibel retreating slightly as Ulquiorra stood between them.

"Ulquiorra," Ichigo said through labored breaths, "You bastard."

The Espada vanished suddenly, causing Halibel's eyes to widen in surprise. Ulquiorra reappeared behind Ichigo, slicing downwards with an energy lance the moment that the shinigami had turned around. The zanpakuto coursed a vicious arc down across Ichigo's chest, a thin jet of blood curving its way through the tear in his black jacket and into the air. Ichigo leapt back in time to outrun a second slash, rising into the air as Ulquiorra's lance crashed down into the desert floor below and sent a massive pillar of sand into the sky.

Halibel hardly had time to register _that_ before the fight itself was over.

She stood in awe as she looked down at the blood-soaked desert beneath her, trying to replay the movements she'd barely even seen. One second Ichigo was hovering a hundred feet in the air and the next he was on the ground, lying in a bloodied heap behind Ulquiorra. He turned slowly and looked down at his fallen opponent, expressionless at Ichigo's now motionless body that was lying in a pool of its own blood.

"Die." He whispered, raising another spear of green light...

Only to find himself speaking to empty air. Halibel skidded to a halt some distance away. Ichigo cradled in her arms, she now twisted his neck to the side, and parted her lips, revealing sharp fangs, easily capable of piercing human flesh.

"Forgive me, Kurosaki. This may hurt a bit."

Before Ulquiorra could stop her, Halibel lowered her lips to Ichigo's neck.

Thsen she bit down.

_Hard._

Ichigo's entire body spasmed violently, as if he were experiencing a seizure. His eyes snapped wide open, and a strange, unwordly scream ripped its way past his lips. Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, Ichigo lay still once more. Sadly, Halibel didn't have the time to observe the rest, as Ulquiorra's tail chose that moment to curl about her neck, strangling the breath from her lungs. Like a rag doll, she was hoisted into the air.

"Cease this foolishness." Ulquiorra scowled at Halibel, gaze falling to the lifeless corpse behind her. "Nothing can bring that boy back. Nothing."

"Kurosaki..." Halibel's words were little more than a gasp. "Just how long....do you...intend to lay there?"

"Enough."

"Sleeping on the floor... doesn't look all that comfortable to me."

"You're dellusional."

"Exactly...how long...are you planning on...pretending to be asleep...?"

And still, Ichigo did not move.

_"Silence!"_ Ulquiorra's furious hiss slashed into her with such force that Halibel nearly cried out in pain. "I will not tolerate anymore of this.

With a quick jab, Halibel Tia fell backwards as a lighting lance stuck out of her chest, the tail unwinding itself from her neck moments later. Her eyes were wide as she dropped; she couldn't believe that the two of them had been defeated so soundly.

She hit the floor and Ulquiorra was immediately upon her, a black-taloned foot resting square on her chest, pinning her to the dome. The green-eyed Arrancar reached down and plucked the lance from herflesh, eliciting a groan of anguish from his former lover.

"Another word..." he warned, pointing his free hand at her, "And I may not be able to restrain myself from killin you, Halibel."

"Bite me." She had not the strength to resist him any further, but her words held such a steel tone, that for a moment, just a moment, Ulquiorra felt a pang of regret for what he was about to do. She was a strong woman, defiant to the very end. Even now, some small part of him still truly loved her, and hoped that she would reconcile to her wrongdoings and return to him. But alas, it was not to be. Bitterness consumed his heart.

The woman he had loved was dead to him.

He pressed the index finger to her throat.

"So be it, Halibel. You have chosen this path, and now...you shall see its end."

"Kuro...saki..." Halibel begged, pleaded, gazing at the vizard's prone form, wincing in excruciating pain, as the swirl of black light began to press itself into her chest. _"Get...up...Get up now!"_

A hand lashed out to catch the ground, slamming down with enough force to crack the tile. Startled by the sound, Ulquiorra ceased charging his cero, vivid golden eyes seeking out the source of the sudden intrusion. It was Ichigo. The vizard slapped a palm upon the ground once more, this time, cracking the dome. Again, and again, he repaeated, as if his body were determined to prove that it still had a flicker of life left within.

"What?" Ulquiorra frowned. "What is this?"

Then it happened.

From the blackest depths of hell, the blaring roar of reaitsu came, consuming the corpse, Ichigo's lifeless body was mercilessly dragged into the air. Slowly, Ichigo's body began to patch itself, forming clean white marks over each wound, then disappearing into the flesh. A blazing masked skull loomed above his prone form, laughing silently as if it were alive. Reddish black light gathered from the hole at its chest, and within moments, the reaitsu was in full effect.

Slowly, the deformed spirit energy took on a humanoid shape, mending itself with mechanical efficiency. Indeed, within moments, the vizard was back on his feet, standing as if nothing had happened, as if he had merely been asleep.

Ulquiorra stared in gobsmacked fascination as the two separate halves sewed themselves into a complete whole, leaving complete and flawless skin where before there had been little more than ragged flesh. Inconceivable. He'd been split in _two. _How could he get back up from that?

"Halibel, you _bitch." _Ulquiorra spat a rare profanity as the vizard's ragged locks became a long, flowing mane. "You deliberately gave that boy some of your blood just now, didn't you?"

The tercera smiled.

"Answer me!"

"You were a fool, to toy with us as you did." Choking on her own blood, Halibel laughed softly from where she lay. "My aspect of death is S_acrifice_, Ulquiorra. Remember that, as you're about to die."

Ichigo roared in defiance.

Ulquiorra could only blink as he beheld Kurosaki Ichigo, or rather, the monstrosity that shinigami had become. It, the creature, was barechested, but now a _hollow hole_ could be seen, dead center in its chest where he'd ripped out his heart. He gave a low growl as he seemed to notice something was amiss here.

He had a mask, resembling more of a human skull, complete with a jaw joint and rounded forehead. From the back of the mask, four spike-shaped marks stretched, two of them stopping by the forehead, and the other two stretching past the eyes and teeth, going past his chin and joining with the marks on his chest. There were also small marks resembling a heart, but with the top and bottom open, extending from the inner corners of his eyes. The mask's most prominent features were two long forward-pointing horns black strips extending from their center towards the tips.

Ichigo extended a hand, and Tensa Zangetsu flew to him, shearing up the sand as it went. With an audible pop, it landed back in his palm, creating concussion force that shattered a nearby section of the dome into a thousands fragments. Brandishing the longsword, what was left of the debris dissolved.

The beast huffed once, apparently satisfied, then turned its attention back to Halibel. She blinked in surprise as it lumbered towards her, then disappeared with the punch of sonido. When next it appeared, it had already bent down to scoop her up in its arms, doing so with the greatest of ease, as if she weighed no more than a child.

Another punch of sonido, and they had reappeared upon one of the few intact sections of the dome.

All this high speed movement occurred in an eyeblink.

**"....Protect....you"**

"Nani?"

**"Protect....you." **It rumbled once again, setting Halibel down, staring at her intently, as if she were the only thing in the world that mattered to him. **"I...will protect you." **Halibel, at a loss for words in the face of his simple mindedness, could only nod mutely and stare up at the behemoth that the transfusion had created, that gently caressed her cheek with a clawed hand. Though he hadn't gotten any taller, this creature that radiated power, power that now hissed and spit at the air around them, was a force to be reckoned with.

His spiritual pressure was at least _double _that of her ressureccion now.

"Impossible." Somehow, Ulquiorra finally found his voice. "you were dead." The moment lost, the beast began to turn about. It shook itself, tossing its mane wildly, spiritual pressure deafening to all those present. "Who are, what are you?" It noticed him then, and slowly raised its gaze...

**_"OOOOOOOOOOOH!" _**It howled vehemently, black eyes locking upon Ulquiorra. **_"OOOOOOOOOOOH!"_**

**_Next time: Darkness...._**


	10. Darkness

**_5,000+ words! Ooooooooooooooi! I'm gonna have to make this an M-rated fic at this rate, what with what's expected next chappy and all, plus the swear words, violence, gore....meh, just consider this a heads up to you guys. And yes, there_ will _be some friggin romance next chappy!_**

**_Darkness_**

"Allon!" Apache bellowed loudly, causing their 'pet' to pause.

The massive creature tilted its head, as if searching for the source of the noise.

"Down here, ya big oaf!"

Confused, it continued to look about.

"Heeeeeeere!" Mila Rose snarled, but still, Allon didn't pay her any attention either.

"You stupid dumbass!" Apache was shrieking now. "Stop ignoring us!"

"Are you even listening?!"

"Allon." Sun-Sun, tired of their antics, tapped her foot impatiently. _"Come. Here. Now."_

Immediately, the chimera straightened up. Moments later, it was down on its hands and knees, making an odd purring sound as Sun-Sun stroked its unruly mane. Indeed, It was a strange scene. The monstrous Allon was acting like a little puppy, its serpentine tail swaying too and fro with all the delight one would expect from a canine, not a mythical beast that could destroy an entry town in an instant.

"Good boy." Sun-Sun smiled as a dismayed Apache and Mila Rose picked their jaws off the floor. "Are you going to listen to me now?"

Allon huffed an affirmative, its massive head nodding slowly.

"Good boy." Sun-Sun patted the beast's chin and bid it to rise. "Now, kill Yammy over there, and I'll give you a treat."

In the blink of an eye, Allon straightened itself up again.

Yammy leapt away, the bottoms of his feet just barely avoiding the swing from Allon's massive fist. The chimera's blow instead struck one of the numerous boulders that littered the desert arena, the large rock shattering into a thousand pebbles beneath the force of the attack.

"S'matter?!" Mila Rose laughed loudly. "Is Allon giving you a hard time?"

Yammy vanished suddenly in a burst of _sonido, _reappearing almost immediately in front of Apache, his massive fist lashing out for her head. As the deadly strike neared her, however, a wave of _reiatsu _erupted from Allon, causing Yammy to actually stagger. His eyes widened in surprise for a moment before he leapt away, once more placing a sizable distance between himself and the quartet of Hollow.

"Don't look so confused," Mila Rose sneered, her lips curving upwards devilishly."Allon doesn't want to see any of us get hurt; it'll protect me and those other two bitches until it dies."

"Oh yeah?" Yammy quipped back, making no effort to hide his already broadening grin. "Then I guess I should just focus all of my attention on your shitty little 'pet' from now on?"

"Yeah," Apache said with an evil chuckle, her index finger pointing over Yammy's shoulder. "Maybe you should start doin' that."

"!!"

Yammy hadn't even heard Allon approaching from his rear; his eyes had barely made it over his shoulder when the enormous beast crashed into him. Before he could even think about tossing the monster off him, his right wrist was caught in the monster's fist. Now, Allon and Yammy were relatively the same size at the moment, but for some reason, Allon's right arm seemed to be ten times as large. Thusly, the decima espada let out a roar of pain as he felt all of the bones beneath crumple, then, ironically, his arm, the same arm that Kurosaki Ichigo had cut off, the same arm that had been reattached, now flew off at the shoulder with all the swiftness of a sparrow. Allon swiftly turned and whipped the espada across the ground, Yammy's limp body crashing into a outcropping pillar with a sickening thud.

He slumped to the sands as the towering behemoth stomped towards him, the ambling beast taking its time as his prey struggled to stand. Yammy growled furiously, his right foot refusing to straighten out, forcing him to use his left leg alone. He put weight on his right foot, only to grit his teeth and hiss in pain.

_Shit, _he thought as he looked at the twisted flesh that had been his right arm and left leg. _Those...little....SHITS!_

Gripping his zanpaktou in his remaining hand, Yammy stuck the sword forward, the blades shimmering as an orange light began surrounding it and his _reiatsu _surged. Allon stopped for a moment, its empty eyes surveying its opponent, its head tilting to the side like a confused puppy. Then, with a bellowing roar, Allon's enormous maw split open from under its filthy mane and it rushed forward with a blinding speed in an attempt to crush its opponent.

"_DESTROY!" _Yammy roared as the monstrous Hollow barreled down upon him. "_IRA!"_

--

"Renji!" Rukia called out to him, her violet eyes wide at the sight of him on his knees. He stood up almost immediately in an attempt to calm her worries, hoping that she wouldn't take her concentration off of the miniature army that surrounded them. His wish was soon denied to him as a small swarm of _Calaveras_ took the opportunity to attack their opponent while her back was turned.

"Rukia!" Renji yelled, his feet beginning to sprint towards her.

Rukia turned in time to slide her lithe body out of the way of the first of the Hollows' strikes, but the second sword wound up going through her shoulder. She hissed in pain as the blade erupted out of her back, her left shoulder-blade splitting in half as the _katana _tore through it. With a quick stab, she pierced through the _Calavera _that had wounded her, _Sode no Shirayuki _glowing white as it came out her opponent's back.

"First dance," she said as she thrust herself off of the Hollow's sword, "_Tsukishiro!"_

A massive column of ice erupted skyward at her command, freezing five of the Espada's soldiers within its pillar. Rukia immediately ran along the side of the frozen pillar, her feet carrying her small body up into the air. She quickly did a back-flip off of the structure, her feet and her head switching positions as she looked downwards at another wave of enemies.

"Cero." A female voice whispered quietly.

Another blast, this one a pure swathe of amethyst violet, shot forth, crashing through two groupings of _Calaveras _on its way to the ground. Renji was forced to leap into the air as an ocean of fire spread out over the ground, disintegrating several of the small Hollows as it extended along the floor. Rukia landed softly atop the frozen glacier that her _shikai _had produced, Nel soon falling next to her.

"Arigatou!" she called her thanks to the espada, but Neliel was already gone, off to help Chad deal with yet another wave of hollows. Now, it was Rudobon's turn.

"Hakuren." Rukia whispered silently.

Rudobon had about a second to process all this before he realized that at some point during the destruction of his _Calaveras,_ his legs had been frozen to the pillar upon which he now stood. He had even less time to comprehend _that_, before Hihio Zabimaru reared up behind him.

"!!"

"_Hikotsu…" _Renji growled as the arrancar struggled to escape the coat of ice that froze his feet to the ground, Rudobón's eyes becoming visible within his mask as they widened in fear, as Zabimaru's jaws parted to reveal the red light rushing towards him, "_Taihou!"_

The explosion caught both of them, and Renju fell backwards, his arms too weak to hold onto Hihio Zabimaru any longer. His eyes glanced over to his right as he hit the ground, a frail smile reaching his face as he watched the arrancar vanish into nothingness.

"Hehe." Renji chortled, despite knowing that he was badly injured. "Finally got the fucker."

"Idiot! You nearly killed yourself!"

Renji, had he been able to move his legs, would have rolled around in pain clutching his groin area. As it was, he just groaned, and muttered a littany of indecipherable curses.

"Hey....that hurt! I don't have any reaitsu right now, Rukia! You coulda killed me-Eh?"

"Arigatou." The petite Kuchiki sighed her thanks as she suddenly pulled his head into her lap. "Renji."

Both however, stiffened as a massive reaitsu slammed into the them.

"What...is that?"

A familair voice laughed harshly.

"Nothing good for you little shits, that's what. Now outta my way, Shinigami!"

Rukia felt her heart stop,_ twice,_as a shadow fell over them, accompanied by a daunting reaitsu. Moments later, its owner stalked past the two of them. This wasn't...no...it was...impossible! The man who had spoken, the man who was now confidently marching towards the break in the dome had nearly killed her a month ago! She wasn't entirely familiar with him, but Ichigo had told her his name. He was...He was...

"G-Grimmjow Jaggerjack?!"

_**--**_

_**"OOOOOOOOH!"**_

"I see." Black reaitsu swirled from his hand. "Yes, its just as I thought. You've become little more than a mindless beast." The current circled his index finger, then at his command, lunged, hoping to drown the monster before it could move.

Ichigo seemed vaguely aware of the incoming attack, but still, made no effort to dodge. No, he stood firm in the wake of the technique, for the terrible current had not struck home. No, the creature emerged from the steam, dripping wet, but entirely unharmed.

_'He dodged?'_

Saffron eyes narrowed as black light gathered once more from the tips of his fingers. Scarcely had he finished charging it, then he vanished from sight, reappearing only a mile or so above Ichigo. Halibel frowned. Ulquiorra wouldn't miss this time, and certainly not from point blank range.

"Cero Oscuras."

Ichigo snorted, as if in contempt. With nary another sound, he jerked his gaze skyward, raised his, horns jutting outward. Violet red light flickered between their tips, coalescing into the distinctive, fluctuating soccer ball sized sphere that couldn't be mistaken as anything other than a cero.

Ulquiorra felt a trickle of fear at the sight of the hyper-powered doom blast. Without a doubt, this cero was much, _much_ stronger than its predecessor, and twice as deadly. If he were to take a direct hit from it....

_'....It matters not. Even if he can fire a cero, it cannot compare to_ my _cero.'_

Ulquiorra fired seconds later.

With a deafening roar, the black _cero _blasted downwards and plowed into the hollowfied Ichigo. Sand blew up and out, blanketing the surrounding structures and an awestruck Halibel. She'd never seen Ulquiorra fight before; she _had_ seen his released form, but he had never shown her his abilities. He possessed a second _ressurrecion_? And what was this incredible _cero _that he'd just demolished the desert floor with? She was beginning to wonder why Aizen had placed her above him all those years ago.

Ichigo couldn't have survived that. No, as she watched the black column of reaitsu plow through the dome and down into Las Noches below, there was no way anything, human, shinigami, hollow, or otherwise, was still alive in that vortex.

Red light shone from the darkness. It was dim flicker at first, but within seconds, it had brightened visibly. It continued to glow, pulsing, as if someone, something, were still breathing inside the void. Then the hand appeared. Then an arm. A leg. Finally, he emerged, supporting himself on nothing but the thin air beneath his feet.

_'Impossible! _

Ichigo WAS still alive.

More than alive, in fact, as he revealed the reason why Ulquiorra's cero had suddenly met with resistance. With his bare hand, the vizard had stopped the blast, and was now holding it in place. His other still held Tensa Zangetsu, its tip holding the blast back through sheer strength alone. Releasing the grip on his blade, Kurosaki allowed it to stick into the dome with an audible thunk. Both hands now free, Ichigo placed both palms flat against the burning inferno.

The cero, which had steadily been swelling inside his horns the entire time, was now finally ready to be released. _And oh, was it released_. With a howl that sounded as if it had come straight from the nine circles of hell, the massive swathe of pure red surged through the inky blackness, matching Ulquiorra's own surge of reaitsu. A tug of war ensued. Red, black, the two pinpoints of light crashed against one another, creating a storm as the reaitsu surged and buckled under their feet. Ichigo screamed in defiance, throwing his free hand forward. Swelling at his fingertips burning at his palm, a second cero now joined the fray, pushing its twin onwards, reinforcing the first blast. Within seconds Ulquiorra realized it.

He was at a disadvantage.

Whatever this new strength was, it had become too much for _his _cero to handle. Even with both hands burgeoning the black blast, Ichigo's double cero was too much to overcome. It was nearly upon him now, despite his best efforts to hold it back.

_'His cero....is strong enough to overpower mine?!'_

With a dull thump, Ichigo's dual cero did just that, _overpowering _cero Oscuras, shattering the black flames like so much glass. Unobstructed, the crimson fire rushed forward to consume Ulquiorra. The creature tilted its head as if in confusion as the arrancar was lost from sight.

But not for long.

With a punching sound, he was suddenly behind Kurosaki, a lance of green light raised vertical above his bloodied head. Ichigo twitched as Ulquiorra carved a thick gash from his right shoulder to his back, but no sooner had the steel left his chalky white flesh then it did heal, flawlessly.

Ulquiorra hissed in surprise, as did Halibel.

"Instantaneous Regeneration?!"

This was absurd! She'd only meant to give him a bit of her blood and rejuvenate him again! Nothing to this extent had been intended!

With a shriek, Ichigo rounded on his enemy, Tensa Zangetsu flying back to his hand as he turned.

Did it have something to do with that mask of his? Had his vizard powers reacted to her blood? Had she drawn _it_ out? Completely turned him into a hollow, without even knowing it? That had to be the reason. He was raging out of control. He was a beast now, with only the desire to kill.

Ulquiorra was unable to block.

Did Kurosaki _really_ have this much power? Had that little bit of blood been enough to draw it out of hiding?

Ulquiorra had no choice now but to take the attack, the powerful sword opening a slice down his belly. The gash ran down along his flat stomach, in addition to the dark crimson that leaked from his hollow hole. Thankfully, his _hierro _proved strong enough to render the wound non-fatal, but his blood still stained the ground beneath his feet as he continued his leap backwards. He was trying to put some distance between them.

Ichigo would not allow it.

There was only the faintest punch of sonido, then he appeared again, and this time, Ulquiorra's left arm came under attack. Ichigo's eyes could not be seen under the demonic helmet/mask, but he seemed to take great pleasure in reaping Ulquiorra's arm free of the shoulder. Stunned, the espada made to leap away, only for Ichigo to toss the severed appendage towards him.

"Useless." With a spurt of black ichor, another limb emerged from the withered stump that had been Ulquiorra's elbow. Ichigo remained where he was, the only visible indication of his anger, a hand curling into a fist. An exasperated growl leaked out from behind the mask.

**_"..."_**

"You should know by now, my greatest power isn't offense. Rather," Ulquiorra began slowly, clearly explaining himself for Halibel's benefit. "It's regeneration. Most arrancar trade high-speed regeneration for greater strength. But I alone am able to quickly regenerate any part of myself except my brain and internal organs."

"Boy," Clenching his newly repaired limb into a fist, Ulquiorra's burning gaze found Ichigo's once more. "I don't know why you changed into _that_ form, but no matter how strong you are, if you stop and stare just because I lost an arm...

"You'll never be able to defeat me."

Ulquiorra placed he hands together, creating a harsh glow of light from between his swiftly separated his hands and created a lance as the distance between his palms grew. His right fist grasped at one side of the spear and he swung back with it, his eyes looking into the face of his opponent.

"_Lanza del Relámpago."_

**_"..."_**

"Stay back." He warned, brandishing the spear as if he meant to throw it, which he did. "Stay right where you are. I don't want to throw this...when we're too close." Without so much as another word, Ulquiorra's weapon left his hands roared forward, demolishing the distance that separated it from Ichigo.

It exploded miles off target, giving the vizard an eerie green backdrop to cas his shaodw over. The entire time, it hadn't moved, hadn't erred from its course once. And still, Ulquiorra had missed.

"....I missed. It's harder to control than I thought."

Flexing his palm, he created yet another lance of light.

_Ba-dump._

Ichigo was no longer airborne.

_"He slipped through....?! That wasn't shunpo. That was...sonido?!"_

Ichigo gave another inhuman shriek, then Tensa Zangetsu thrust itself through Ulquiorra's left pectoral. It was a brief impalement, for the espada quickly extricated himself from the blade, but shock filled his features as he soared backward.

_"Impossible." _The espada hissed in disbelief, touching a finger to the blood that was now trickling down his stomach. "How...How could he have cut me? Again?" Ichigo's response was to click his tongue, stamp a foot, and raise his reiatsu. Red light exploded around him, giving the shinigami turned hollow, an almost satanic appearance. Screaming in fury, he leapt into the fray once more, forcing Ulquiorra even further from Halibel.

This time, Ulquiorra was able to read his movements.

"Do you think this will make me hesitate?" the pallid arrancar said slowly, his spiritual pressure rising to match the vizard's. "Don't underestimate me, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo bellowed at him, but the espada suddenly whirled, proving that he had a different target.

_"Bala."_

A massive explosion suddenly crashed through the back wall of the innermost pillar, causing Ichigo to take his attention off Ulquiorra and _sonido _towards Halibel, desperate to shield her from harm. Another bala hit his chest with a dull crunch, throwing him into the foremost pillar. As he appeared again, he found the cuarta directly across from him, lance pointed at his chalk white chest, trapping him between the incoming cero and his deadly weapon, blocked by Tensa Zangetsu. Black light began to swell along the edges of his lance and a small smirk crossed his face.

_Now,_the boy would have to choose. Though he seemed to have no reason in this form, it was Halibel's blood that had fueled this unintended transformation. Her essence coursed through his veins, and that same blood drove Kurosaki to protect her, no matter the cost. Including his life.

The hardened bullet of reiatsu launched forth, its piecing tip aimed directly for Ichigo's head. Now, came the moment of truth. Would he suffer the blow, or let it slip past? This would be a victory on either account. In the end, it turned out to be neither. The beast raised a hand and the blast turned to steam against his hand, the mist vanishing back into the blade.

Ulquiorra vanished suddenly, his body vanishing in a buzz of black and white. He swiftly appeared behind his shinigami opponent and fired off a twin pair of _cero , _the two missiles screaming through the air towards the hollows turned back.

The creature raised its free hand, and sliced them clean in half with Zangetsu performed the same feat. Scowling, Ulquiorra retreated again, but now, the air was laden with heat, a thick dry sky that was deprived of any and all humidity.

He soon found the answer as he stabbed the scythe into the ground and a wall of flames rushed at her.

_Reishi._

Indeed, the power stemmed from his blade, which was greedily absorbing many spirit particles from the air. They wreathed across his skin as if they were alive, crawling over his chalky white flesh like unearthly vines. He roared a challenge and flung the the getsuga like flames at Ulquiorra, cutting through another useless cero as if it were a speck of dust.

_He was being overpowered._

With a buzzing shock, Ulquiorra was directly in front of Ichigo , his lance crashing into Zangetsu. Ichigo blocked with the same lethargic force that seemed to move his hand a moment ago. But it was enough to spur his weapon forward, causing the Arrancar to repel back forcefully. A dull punch of sonido reached Ulquiorra's ears...too late. Ichigo was already there, behind him, carving into his back as if his skin were made of paper, not impenetrable steel.

Blood spurted from the space between his shoulder blades, exposing bone and marrow. Refusing to give him the satisfaction of crying out, Ulquiorra whirled on his attacker, seeking to carve him in two with a quick sweep of his lance up the middle. But Ichigo seized the lance with his bare hand, shattering it without so much as an effort.

_'Barehanded...?'_

With a dull crunch, he seized Ulquiorra's right wing, cold, black eyes boring into the surprised orbs of the _cuarta_. A fierce ripped from behind the mask, and he _pulled_, taking the entire appendage, hand and all with it, leaving little more than a trail of blood in his wake.

Again, Ulquiorra had been outmaneuvered.

**_"OOOOOOOOOOH!" _**A deafening roar bled into his ears, leaving him dazed both by screams of Ichigo, The loss of his arm, wing and the degree to which he'd been overwhelmed were incredible. Discarding any attempt at defense, Kurosaki snarled, lashing out with such force that Ulquiorra could only blink, before being struck.

The final blow, stained Zangetsu red with blood, and Ulquiorra fell on his back.

Toppled.

Defeated.

"Damn...it..." The cuarta wheezed, glaring up at him, this muscle bound hollow that had beat him to a last slash had nearly split him in two, and he'd lost one of his horns to boot. "To lose... to be beaten...by some human turned hollow...how...ridiculous.

**_"..."_**

Ichigo planted his foot firmly upon Ulquiorra's skull, and with a grunt, the hollow leveled its horns and Ulquiorra. His intent was murderously clear as the cero began to spit and hiss in between his horns, whom it was meant for.

"I see. No mercy, eh? How very...hollow-like. I don't care. I have no reason to live now that you've beaten me."

He could see nothing but violet red around the mask. The terrible light blotted out everything, and still, Ulquiorra Schiffer stared directly into it, the jaws of death that threatened to swallow him whole. And he simply did not care. All that he had going into this battle was a lingering sense of regret, a slim hope that Halibel would change her mind, see the error of her ways, and come back to him. Now, even that had been torn away.

He had nothing left to live for.

He _wanted_ death.

He _wanted_ his existence to end.

"Finish me." Ulquiorra asked at last. "I have no reason to live now that I have failed."

**_Do it! _**His inner hollow urged. **_Kill him!_**

"Do it!" Ulquiorra was practically begging him now.

_"Enough."_

**_"!!"_**

Ichigo snapped his gaze to the left at the last second. One hand latched onto his mask, yanking his horns upward and away from their intended target as he kicked Ulquiorra aside, just as the mighty explosion lit the skies of Las Noches.

The smoke cleared immediately, and there he stood. Gone were the strange markings on his chest, gone was the incredible power he had wielded, gone was the mask, and gone was the hollow hole he'd had. An indescribable, wonderful, sense of relief, filled Halibel when she saw that he was unharmed. He stood there for a moment, a blank look in his eyes as they roamed across the battlefield.

Confused amber met cold teal green.

"Wha...?

He took one step towards her before his legs gave out. He fell to his hands and knees, gasping for air, gasping for breath. He was in pain, that much was glaringly obvious, nearly more so than the bewildered, broken, but still very much alive Ulquiorra that lay some distance away.

"What did you do...to me?" Ichigo wheezed suddenly. He raised his gaze to meet hers then, and she saw that his eyes had yet to return to their normal, human, brown, coloration. The sclera remained darkened, the irises, still a sickly golden yellow. "W-What the hell...is...this...?!"

Halibel stared at him, silently. She wasn't quite sure _what_she had done to him. He wasn't a hollow, she knew THAT for certain, but his reaitsu was another matter entirely. It wasn't a vizard's. Nor was it a shinigami's. It didn't even remotely resembled a hollow's reaitsu, either. It certainly wasn't the pathetically bland spirit energy that resided in a normal human being or in those dreadfully boring bounts and Quincies That being said, Halibel had nothing else to brand him as.

So then...just what _was_ he?

"I changed you." She replied at last, her lips pulling themselves into a small frown. "I made you stronger. Stronger than what you were before, or ever will be. And in doing so, I saved your life a _second_time. You should be grateful to me, Kurosaki. You are now doubly indebted to me, and I _still_ have yet to ask for any form of repayment from you."

"I...am." Ichigo gasped quietly, his eyes starting to glaze over, his arms beginning to wobble. "Grateful. For...whatever...you did. It worked, after all, didn't...it...?"

With a silent rush of air, he passed out and collapsed into her arms. A trickle of fear filling her heart, Halibel checked his pulse, and when that didn't satisy her, placed one ear to his back. She was rewarded with sound of snoring. Amused, she returned him to his original position.

Ichigo Kurosaki...was sleeping.

Unbidden, Halibel found her fingers playing with his _hair_. That, out of his transformation, hadn't reverted. It was still long, and surprisingly soft. For a human's hair, that is. It fascinated her, just like the rest of him. Contenting herself to keep her hands only on his hair, Halibel sighed heavily.

"You truly are interesting...Kurosaki Ichigo."

Both Ulquiorra AND Ichigo were out cold, and would likely remain so for several hours. The former she held absolutely no concern for, but she wanted to be awake when the latter woke up. That being said, she was having difficulty keeping _her_ eyes open actually...

Sleeping up here wasn't the best idea, but even so, Halibel Tia found herself slipping into the warm embrace of unconsciousness. Restraining a yawn, she cast one last glance at the boy in her arms. She truly didn't want to sleep, but she was powerless to resist the urge. Her eyelids dropped heavily, and began to close.

It might not be _so_ bad...she simply needed to wake up _before _Kurosaki did....

**_Recommended music for chapter: Subsonic~Headhunterz_**

**_Next time: Tainted Love. Tainted Battle_**

**Reviews make me happy, reviews make me update even faster. So won't you please give me them? **

**~Nz**


	11. Daze of Lust I

**_Dear Readers: I Truly hope that all of you enjoy reading this fluffy chapter as much as I did writing it. I have poured my ENTIRE heart and soul into the work of literature that lays before you now, which really is saying something considering how many stories I have, including the book I'm trying to publish. That being said, sit back, pull up a chair, grab a coke and some popcorn, and enjoy the show._**

_"Ichigo...my...Ichigo...._

Kurosaki Ichigo gasped, the lids of his eyes snapping open to find...

_Nothing. _

No, perhaps _nothing _was not the best of terms. Nothing would mean that Ichigo _felt nothing_, and this was certainly not the case. Rather Ichigo did _not _feel nothing, no, he felt _something_. But just what _was _this something that he felt? Was it relief at having survived to open his eyes once more? Elation, upon striking down Ulquiorra and reaffirming his promise to protect Inoue? Or was it something else altogether? As the fragmented pieces of Ichigo's psyche struggled to come both together and to a conclusion, his body shivered against the harsh gust of wind that suddenly blew in from the south, dancing across his skin impishly, then vanishing into the perpetual night. And yet, he did not feel the biting chill of Hueco Muendo.

Rather, the strangest sensation of warm coursed through his veins, warming him as if he were wrapped in a soft blanket. Ichigo rolled his shoulders, producing a satisfying pop that his deadened, sleep addled body did not seem to notice.

_Sleep._

Going back to sleep in such a comfortable position was not...an unpleasant notion. No longer did his body ache and protest to the monumental strain he'd put upon himself, nor was there any trace of exhaustion to be found in his golden black eyes. They were so full of vibrant life it was-

Ah yes, _the eyes._

A new Ichigo stared back at the makeshift mirror, with something akin to awe in his eyes upon realizing that the reflection, this fractured pane of glass that lay before him, had actually been formed _during _his frenzied battle with Ulquiorra, the cuarta espada's attacks having sprayed entire dunes of superheated sands onto the punctured bubble that was the dome of Las Noches. That sand had in turn been crystalized from the cero.

Leaving Ichigo to look into a lopsided mirror that hung from the elaborate structure of sand turned glass.

But back to the face.

A pair of brilliantly gold eyes glared back at him, narrowing at the same time as his own. A trembling hand, reaching up to grasp the long locks of his hair, severals strand of which served to hide the black tattoos that ran and curved along his forehead, before ending at the bridge of his nose.

"Wow." He breathed, unsure of what he was looking at.

_Wow. _The soundless word from the reflection bounced back.

For some unexpected reason, the sight of the stranger angered Ichigo in the most simple and ironic way. Who the hell did he think he was, this stranger that copied him and so mutely moved as he did? From beneath his pinned body, the left hand lashed out in earnest and the already wounded mirror took the blow without protest, the single image splitting into four as the vizard pulled away the bloody knuckles of his closed fist.

"Ow! Shit!" He cussed, wincing as the shards of glass burrowed into the tender joints of his fingers while he flailed about. "Shit shit shit!"

A quartet of Ichigo's mirrored this movement, their angry expressions slowly morphing into horror with his own, each mouthing the same question that had begun to burn and scream beneath his skin ever since those soft, sweet words had drawn him from the inky blackness that was sleep.

_What the hell happened to me?_

Blinking in an attempt to further clear the fog of unconciousness from his mind, the young vizard suddenly realised that his head was resting upon something both warm _and _soft, something that now shifted, ever so slightly, when he turned his head to the side. Confused, Ichigo attempted to lift his head from this strange cushion, only for a powerful force to press him back down the moment he tried to raise himself into a sittingposition.

Startled, Ichigo reached for Tensa Zangetsu....

Only to realize that the black bankai was stubbornly embedded in the dome.

_Three feet away._

Annoyed and puzzled, the obtuse youth tried to roll to the side this time, in a desperate attempt to escape the strange vise that held him so. He hadn't so much as twitched a three centimeters to the right before it clamped down upon him again, dragging him back to his original position.

His third attempt yielded the very same result, the incredible pressure refusing to yield, relenting only _after _he'd relaxed his body and lay very still for a handful of seconds. _Hands_, Ichigo realized, as he felt the delicate fingertips stroking, _braiding _themselves into the long tresses of his hair.

A pair of hands were holding his head down into something both warm and soft. Though his mind refused to believe it, the last memory he had was of passing out in front of his female arrancar ally, who was currently nowhere to be seen at the moment. Which could only mean...

Daring himself to look _up _from his jailer's embrace, Ichigo found himself immediately wishing he hadn't. Her flaxen colored hair and bronze skin were more than enough to give his captor away, even as his eyes lingered dangerously too long on her bosom in which his head was trapped.

Moving slowly, _very slowly, _Ichigo was somehow able to successfully extricate himself, his head that is, free and into open air. And as luck would have it, his lungs chose that very moment to greedily suck in a gulp of fresh air. Very, very loudly. He froze, but by the grace of kami...

His captor did not stir.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief and muttered a profuse string of "Arigatou"'s. Twisting his legs beneath him, the vizard had now managed to force himself to his knees, though he was still facing her. Still, came the most difficult part. He had to work his waist, and by default his arms, free, but it was to those, which she so desperately clung and had no intention of letting go. Sweat beading his brow, Ichigo leaned forward, just enough.

His forehead was now well pressed against her own. This seemed to soothe her somewhat, judging by the ebbing of pressure centered around Ichigo's midsection. When he saw the sleepy half smile upon her lips, he nearly lost the nerve to finish the task. But he bit his lip and carried on the dutiful, arduous task.

Gingerly, he placed his left hand across her right, providing himself with enough leverage to work his other arm free. Repeating the same process, the vizard breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he was able to sucessfully free his limbs, and was now only held by the waist. Ichigo lurched forward, hands flailing, desperately seeking out for some kind of support.

And, wouldn't you know it, he found _support._

Ichigo froze, his body becoming stone in the position.

But it was already far too late.

Her eyes snapped open, wide with shock, surprise, and very much awake. After boring into his gaze for a moment, they drifted down, to his hands, then back to a pair of fear filled eyes.

"Kurosaki Ichigo...what on earth are you doing?"

"H-Halibel-san?" The words tumbled out and the vizard cursed himself for how they sounded. "Well...uh....erm....

"Why?"

For another instant, neither moved.

Then the shadow fell upon them.

"Why didn't you...finish me off?!"

Ichigo whirled, eyes wide, for the tip of a broken katana now slammed into his forearm, whilst the other seized the wrist of his attacker. Ulquiorra's was one of open disbelief as the already fractured blade began to crack fruther, before abruptly shattering into a thousand pieces, leaving only the hilt. But he had not long to feel surprise, as Ichigo's heel rammed...

...Into his face.

Blood, spurting from a broken nose, sprayed across Ichigo's face and upon Halibel's cheek. Ulquiorra staggered back, futiley staunching the flow of crimson with his hand. The vizard payed no heed to it, he was already in motion once again. Exploding from the grip Halibel still maintained upon him, Ichigo shot forth, a wild grin spreading across his face from the scent.

With a howl of frustration, Ulquiorra bolted into the air, an arrow snapped from a bow.

But Ichigo was faster, a bullet from a gun.

He caught up to the espada with ease, his hand caressing the arrancar's neck for a moment, as if it were a gentle, compassionate touch. Then the remnants of Hueco Muendo's dome all but _shattered _as Ulquiorra's prone form slammed into it, his neck clamped down in the vice of Ichigo's left hand. Flexing the fingertips of his right, Tensa Zangetsu shuddered, albeit briefly.

Then the wayward zanpakuto dislodged itself from the stone, and smacked into his palm with an audible pop. Shifting his grip upon the long daito, its tip came to rest upon Ulquiorra's throat, ready to be driven through at a moments notice. Ulquiorra made no attempt to struggle, though his eyes narrowed as they slid so silently shut.

"Finish me this time."

Ichigo's maddening grin only grew as the tip pricked chalk white flesh, drawing thin rivulets of crimson.

"Stop."

Ichigo twitched, his eyes widening slightly as he found himself, or rather, his body unable to go through with his mind's raging desire to kill the cuarta espada. Incredulous, he whipped his gaze toward Halibel, who stood a ways across from them, her sword once more belted to her back, arms crossed, almost regally as she ordered the powered up shinigami to halt.

"B-But-

"Kurosaki." Halibel repeated sternly, her gaze locking with his own, her voice possesing a strange double timbre that compelled the vizard to do as he was told. "Drop your weapon."

Unwillingly, Ichigo felt the black bankai slip through his fingertips. A low growl rose from his throat, turning into a whine as she shook her head once more. The simple motion was enough to fill his heart with outrage and confusion. Why on earth had he lost himself like that? Why did his body refuse to move, just as she had ordered? Why did the smell of blood...blood...

"So you've acquired another slave, Halibel." Ulquiorra's mocking voice rang out from below Ichigo. "How fitting of you-

Ichigo whirled, his forehead smacking against the espada's with a vicious crunch. For the first time since he'd been beaten, the cuarta espada gasped in pain, his blood-stained neck arching back in agony from the split skull that even now began to heal, whilst his ruined nose struggled to reset itself. It was then that Kurosaki's hand clamped around his face.

Unceremoniously dragged to his feet, visage a mere inch from Kurosaki, Ulquiorra could only blink as the vizard snarled at him, lips curling back to expose pearly white teeth.

"Shut. The. Fuck. UP!"

"I am merely stating the truth-

Ichigo retaliated by shoving the espada.

"Fuck you and your truth!"

"Enough!" A massive reaitsu slammed into the two bickering rivals, who turned, jaws clenched, to see Halibel stalking towards them, arms uncrossed, her eyes narrowed to furious slits as she strode towards them. "I am going below the dome. BOTH of you are to follow me, and this arguing is to stop at once. Do we understand each other?"

"Yeah," A smug voice interrupted their response. "See, I might have a problem with that, Halibel."

"Is that so," The tercera espada didn't even bother to turn around, she didn't have to. She already knew, recognized the speaker, even as he levitated himself through the massive gaping crack that was the remainder of Las Noche's dome. "Grimmjow Jaggerjack?"

"Hell yes." The sexta espada wore a shit eating grin as he touched down upon the dome, _Pantera _escaping its sheathe before he even took the first step towards the trio. "I've still got a bone to pick with Kurosaki."

Ichigo turned his gaze coldly meeting that of the espada.

"We already finished our fight, Grimmjow."

"Bullshit! This isn't over until one of us is-

"Pardon me, but I've heard quite enough out of you, Grimmjow."

A dull punch of sonido alerted them to yet _another _intruder. Ulquiorra stiffened, his glass like orbs shooting wide open. Grimmjow, startled by the close approximity to which the arrancar had appeared, launched himself backward, sandals skidding across the dome before he could rebalance himself. Halibel, simply closed her eyes and exhaled softly to his antics.

But, Ichigo, _his _face split into a dazzling grin when she turned towards him.

"Nel!"

"So you came to inform him?" Halibel turned her back to her sister. "I expected as much."

"Huh? Inform me of what?" Ichigo swiveled back to Neliel. "Nel, what the hell are you taking about?"

"I believe I can explain what's happened to you, Ichigo." A faint smile flickered across her lips in reaction to the strangled gurgle he gave in return. " You see, you aren't a shinigami anymore, nor are you a vizard. You're close to an arrancar, but you're not that either." Here she paused, looking on silently as Ichigo struggled to absorb it all. "You see, you are a-

_"?!"_

**Next time: Hate You Kill You**


	12. Daze of Lust II

"I'm a...what?" Ichigo whispered, his mind refusing to comprehend the shocking truth that had at long last been made manifest to him. He'd always suspected _something_, but this? His mouth worked soundlessly now, eyes wide, mouth agape as he struggled to find the words that would not come. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra wore similarly gobsmacked expressions, though the latter's surprise was better concealed than the former's.

But _they _weren't the one trying to fight the overpowering urge to wail in outright despair.

No, to Ichigo, it felt as if he had been abandoned, left to fend for himself in an empty vacuum of space, struggling to breathe, yet unable to do so, for their was no air to be found. His skin, frozen granite, deprived of the pleasant warmth he'd been privy to just a moment ago, crawling in revulsion, shuddering in the wake of the knowledge that his former life,_ his humanity_, were gone now, for he could no longer be called human.

The silence made it worse. It was deafening. Oppressing. Swarming in from every side, every conceivable angle, it smothered Ichigo, drowning him in the bitter, harsh reality otherwise known as truth. His life was over. His worst fears were finally confirmed, and they were unbearable.

No one spoke. It was as if they were content to let Ichigo's internal torment end him. His gaze flickered to each and every one of them. Nel, with that kind, gentle sadness in her eyes. Ulquiorra, gauging everyone's reaction, Grimmjow, torn somewhere between fury and disbelief, Halibel...

"And what of it?" The cuarta espada, who had yet to say another word since his brief scuffle with Ichigo, suddenly turned brought his gaze to bear upon the disheveled youth, juniper green eyes all but _burning _with checked anger and barely suppressed indignation. "Who am I to care?"

Under Ulquiorra's unflinching stare, Ichigo did not quail, nor did he cringe away from the hollow's words. Despite the overwhelming misery and despair that consumed his new existence, something in the arrancar's words struck a nerve, hacking, slashing their way into Kurosaki's mind with their blatant mockery and disdain, then taking root, spreading throughout his head as the espada turned his back on the one-time vizard.

Grimmjow's gaze slid to the right, widening slightly at the low growl that ripped its way into the night air. Ulquiorra did not have such a courtesy however, and his face crumpled in pain as Ichigo's fist made contact with his right eye. Dazed, he blinked to clear the haze away, and Ichigo was upon him, Tensa Zangetsu pressed to the pale flesh of the arrancar's throat as he slammed bodily back into the dome, pinned once more.

"I'll give you a reason to care, ULQUIORRA!!"

"Enough." With a single word, the atmosphere reclaimed the vicious tension it had possesed not five minutes before. Once more, Halibel Tia was the center of attention, the terrible pressure of her reaitsu _demanding _the notice of all present and forcing them to be still. At once, Ichigo relented, leaping off the prone cuarta, his backflip carrying him to the Tercera's side. His expression suggested that he hadn't done this willingly.

Surprisingly, it was Nel who proved to be Ichigo's salvation.

"Breathe, Ichigo." She soothed, draping an arm across his shoulder, guiding the vizard's attention away from his irate nemesis as she began to lead him to the right, intact portion of the dome. "Don't let Ulquiorra-sama provoke you anymore than he has already."

"But-

"No but's." The ex-espada shook her head, the motion sending her teal hair cascading about. "Now, I need to treat your injuries."

"But I'm not injured-

"I said no but's!" Nel sang childishly, her high sing-sone voice drowning out Kurosaki's protestation. "If I said you're injured than you _are injured!"_

"But-

"Ichigo," Nel interrupted sweetly as she plopped him down at the edge of the dome, by now, far away from Halibel and the others. "Would you rather I break you arm first, or your leg?" Something about her tone suggested that she really would resort to violence if he didn't listen.

"Th-There's no need to do that! I'm not feeling well at all, actually!"

Nel's smile was just a tad bit knowing as she sat down behind him and spit into her palms.

"See, I told you so! Now this might sting a bit...

"Hey what're you-OW!"

"As I was about to say," Halibel's blazing glare traveled over the three espada and the lone shinigami, before settling once more upon her former partner. "This pertains to you, Ulquiorra, because you were _defeated _by that very same power, and in your second ressureccion state, no less."

Grimmjow snickered to himself as Ulquiorra's face fell. He'd never admit it out loud, but Halibel was an expert at dismantling her opponent, dissecting their true intentions and motives with an ease that made even Ulquiorra's apathetic methods look inexperienced and halfwitted.

Ulquiorra looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, something which Grimmjow found even more amusing.

And then Halibel turned her wrath upon _him_.

"And who are _you _to laugh at his fault, Grimmjow Jaggerjack? If I recall correctly, you lost to Kurosaki as well, and you too, refused to admit defeat, to the point where Nnoitra nearly dismembered you for your blatant stupidity."

"Hey hey, it wasn't like that." Grimmjow sulked defensively, shoving a hand in his pocket as he flinched away from Halibel's piercing stare. "Our fight wasn't finished when he jumped me! And that bastard Nnoitra-

_"Is dead."_ Halibel countered icily, her blank expression unchanging as the sexta espada let out a low hiss of angry disbelief. "And unless you and Ulquiorra want to join his ashes in Las Noches, I suggest the two of you listen to what I have to say while Kurosaki is...healed."

_**xxxxx**_

"Shit." Apache groaned, rolled of the sand and onto her back, and began absentmindedly fingering the bloody gash that ran the length of her forehead. Pain shot down her skull, eliciting a weak whimper from the fraccion."Shit. Shit, shit, shit. How the hell did we lose to that guy?"

"He's an espada." Mila-Rose grumbled from several yards away, her legs currently trapped beneath a pile of rubble. "What did you expect?"

"His release to be a pile of crap." Apache retorted, her gaze swiveling to the disfigured bloody heap that had once been their pet, Allon. Now, little more than a pile of flesh and bones, it twitched sporadically, but otherwise remained motionless.

"Hey, did anyone hear that, just now?"

"Hear what?" The battered fraccion muttered around a mouthful of blood. "That scumbag laughing his ass off?"

"No," Mila-Rose snapped weakly, too exhausted to argue with her comrade. "He's off playing with the shinigami."

"I hear it." Sun-Sun shakily sat up, attempted to stand, and instantly regretted it. Wincing, she toppled to the right, accidentaly tripping over the swearing Apache in the process, tangling the two of them up in a heap. Instantly the bickering resumed and the sound of shrieking filled the air.

"Bitch! Get offa me!"

"You, get off of _me."_

"QUIET!" Mila-Rose snarled. "Don't you feel that?"

Apache and Sun-Sun exchanged a glance, then suddenly looked up as the sky split above them, and five specks of light shot toward the ground, the foremost landing with a soft thud several feet away.

"H-Halibel-sama?!" They breathed as one.

"Ladies." The tercera inclined her head in a nod as Ichigo landed besided her, followed by Neliel, Grimmjow, and lastly, a still sullen Ulquiorra. "You seem a little worse for the wear."

Apache grimaced.

"It was-

Before anyone could answer, another quake, stronger than the first, struck. The shadow loomed over them, blotting out the sun itself with its sheer mass. Ulquiorra was the first to speak, his juniper green eyes sliding to the right as the first of many tremors shook the sands beneath their feet. Even the rubble trembled, as if in fear. Still, the sound grew louder until they saw it.

"What the...hell?" Ichigo gaped.

"That, would be Yammy."

"Oi, Ulquiorra!" A massive voice boomed from overhead, confirming Halibel's suspicion, and by default Ichigo's. Squinting into the harsh glare of the afternoon sun, the ex-shinigami could _just _make out the espada's head, as well the prominent zero tattoo that adorned his left shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing with these pieces of trash?" Yammy boomed. "I thought-

"Zero?" Ichigo blinked incredously, ignoring their conversation. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It would mean, that Yammy is the cero espada." Halibel interjected calmly, her lips pulled into a thin line, her eyes speaking of nothing other than silent disgust, rather than Ichigo's blatant disbelief. "I always did wonder why that brute got away with half of what he did and no one dared to challenge him for it...

"Cero espada?!" Grimmjow spat the rank right back at Halibel with more than an equal amount of venom in his voice. "Why the _fuck _didn't we know about this fucking title before?!"

"I didn't know." Halibel answered. "Ulquiorra, why don't you tell Yammy exactly what you plan on doing?"

The cuarta espada did no so much as glance at his former lover.

"Yammy, Halibel and I are leaving the service of lord Aizen."

"Same here." Grimmjow snapped, irritated that he hadn't been mentioned. "I'm tired of being under that shinigami's thumb, but don't think for a fuckin' second that makesyou and me friends, Kurosaki!"

"Oh yeah?" Ichigo regained a bit of life at that remark, the ghost of a smile pulling at his lips. "You looking to get your ass beat again, Grimmjow?"

"Fuck you, Ichigo Kurosaki!" The sexta espada grinned maliciously and flipped his rival the bird. "Just because I'm leaving with you don't mean shit! I'll kick your ass any day of the month, just you wait!"

"That so?!" Yammy snorted angrily, the deep double timbre of his voice interrupting them, as was did the massive fist that was now spiraling towards the group. "Bring it on then, you little shit!" Ichigo backpedalled rapidly, the tail sweeping beneath his feet as he rocketed into the air towards the espada's face. His face twisted into a cruel grin, just before a massive fist slammed into Ichigo, the gargantuan limb dragging him from the air and into the dirt with the force of a small explosion.

"Ichigo!" Without warning or hesitation, Rukia appeared in a swish of shunpo and shot forward, only for a buzzing blur of white to bar her path.

"G-Grimmjow!" The petite Kuchiki glared at the espada incredously, torn between drawing her sword and running to Ichigo's side.

"Leave 'em." The sexta espada kept his back to the protesting shinigami, hiding the wild grin that threatened to spread across his face. "A punch like that...wont be enough to bring Kurosaki down." He gazed pointedly into the smoke, as if he could see into the haze. "Just wait n' see."

Indeed, as the smoke began to clear, Rukia soon saw proof of Grimmjow's claim. As if the cruel, barking laughter wasn't enough to prove his theory, there, in a crater half the size of Las Noches, not even brought to one knee, Ichigo stood. Unfazed, he tipped Tensa Zangetsu forward.

"Your blood...is digusting. It has absolutely no flavor to it."

He glared up at Yammy, his once wide eyes narrowing to furious slits, the pupils inverting, becoming slitted as the scent of blood now wafted across the air to him. The block had left _him _uhnarmed, but the same could not be said for Yammy. The impact had opened a small cut upon the palm of his open hand, the cause for Ichigo's recent....revulsion.

_"Whuzzat, shinigami?!" _Yammy bellowed, his voice loud enough to crack another pillar, the explosion of which forced Rukia to clamp both hands over her ears in a vain attempt to stifle the sound. "You...You think yer hot stuff, you little shit?! You think yer better than me, do ya?! Yer nothing, got that?! You're trash! YOU GET ME DIPSHIT?! TRASH-NRGH?!"

"Big talk." Ichigo snorted, Zangetsu still smoking from the Getsuga Tenshou that had so abruptly slammed into Yammy's lower lip, thusly silencing his tirade amidst the fountain of blood that gushed forth out of the espada's jaw. "But all your release really did was make you an even _bigger _idiot, Yammy-

He never had the chance to finish, as the cero burst forth from Yammy's maw and consumed him. Golden black eyes shot wide open with surprise as the doom blast roared over him before mercilessly depositing Ichigo into a pillar several miles away to the east. Yammy's harsh laugh echoed around a second cero and through the air as the tower collapsed under the second barrage of crimson

This time, Grimmjow winced.

"Alright shinigami," He reluctantly relented to Rukia as silence filled the air. "Maybe _that one_ did some damage."

Blood now poured from Ichigo's nostrils, creating an eerie track of red running down his chest. Grimacing, the ex-reaper spit out a blood wad of saliva, before picking himself back up out of the shadows. As his face emerged from the smoke, Ulquiorra stiffened ever so slightly at the sight.

The mask had returned. Once again, Ichigo's skin had become sheet white, the black tribal tattoo's methodically crisscrossing across his arms and chest as he slowly ascended into the air, bringing himself eyes to eye with the bewildered behemoth espada, who had to foucs just to see Ichigo.

_"So," _Ichigo folded his arms, cocked his head to one side innocently, but the wicked helmet he wore betrayed his movements and made them anything but complacent. This was no human, this was a predator, stalking its prey, sizing it up, ready to strike at the first sign of weakness. _"Was that it? I thought you were going to crush me like the scum I was, Yammy?_

_"Heh." _Yammy surprised everyone by cracking a wide grin, displaying similarly cracked teeth. "The name of my resurrecion is Ira! Anger itself is my power! Go ahead, piss me off more, more more! It's only gonna make the way you die...one helluva ride!"

Ichigo caught the fist with an open palm, sliding back several feet from the sheer momentum of the impact. A low growl rosse from behind the mask as his bare feet were unable to find purchase on the air as he continued his skid.

Realizing that the youth was _still _alive, the cero espada lurched back, ready to slam his left fist into this unwavering hunk of granite once again. Perhaps it could be said that he tried. For no sooner had the though to retaliate entered the sluggish mind of Yammy Riyalgo, then did Kurosaki Ichigo discard Tensa Zangetsu and clamp down upon Yammy's_ right _hand with his own. At once, his backwards crawl began to slow, inexorably grinding to a halt seconds later, before being stopped altogether.

"As if I would let you take my arm off again." Ichigo hissed at the massive wall of muscle that continued to bear down upon him. "Speaking of which...

Nel stiffened, her hazel eyes growing large with fear and dismay as an already fully formed violet red cero emerged from the porcelain jaws of Ichigo's mask, the soccer ball sized sphere swelling magnificently as its owner continued to pour more and more reaitsu into its circular form.

"Move!"

Moments later, the charred stump that had once been Yammy Riyalgo's right arm, toppled to the ground, crushing the pillar upon which they stood, before slumping to the floor, and disintegrating from the surge of heat. As the quartet of espada reappeared in the air, so did Ichigo. In his palms, he now clutched another pair of cero, another already sparking between his horns, much larger than its two brother's.

While Halibel looked on, he pressed his hands together, and the double cero became one, exponentially larger sphere. Recognizing the technique, the tercera was unable to restrain a small gasp, or keep her eyes from widening as she noted the thin line of blood running down his wrist.

"That's-

"Gran rey cero." Ichigo rumbled.

And the great wall of red white swept Yammy up and he was lost from sight.

_**A/N: Yes, I'm still keeping what Ichigo is under wraps, but don't worry! You'll understand in the next chapter!**_

_**Next time: To Karakura, Embark! The final, decisive battle begins?**_


	13. Daze of Lust III

_**REVIEW! I WORKED MY ASS OFF ON THIS CHAPTER! ROMANCE! DRAMA! ACTION! FLUFF! YOU WILL FIND IT HERE! I'll be starting classes again soon, so i'll try to keep everything updated, those stories that I'm not giving away, that is. Here, however, a precursory list for what I am giving away at the moment will be included at the end of this chapter. Until then, R&R another excellent chapter as always!**_

_**Daze of Lust III**_

Kurosaki Ichigo did not so much as bat an eyelash at the sight that lay before him. Yammy Riyalgo was defeated. On one hand and knee, drenched in his own blood and choking on it, moaning as his ressureccion peeled away from his body, leaving him as a mere shadow of his former self. Broken and beaten, the arrancar glared into the dust, the fingers of his good hand curling furtively around empty grains of sand.

With little more than a cursory glance, Halibel realized that mere victory would simply not be enough for the hybrid. Her words earlier rang perfectly true. Kurosaki Ichigo was no longer human. As such, he lacked the pathetic emotion known as _mercy_, that derived from that lesser race. Of course, her intuition proved to be exactly right. Eyes narrow and cold, Ichigo stalked toward the espada, Tensa Zangetsu smacking back into his palm with an audible pop. With slow and precise steps, he approached the crater in which the _cero _espada lay, his intentions all too clear.

Pausing at the cusp of the indentation, Ichigo stared down at Yammy, waiting to be acknowledged, letting it all soak in for the bewildered espada, who desperately stumbled to his feet with a roar of disbelief. Grasping for his zanpakutou, he came up with nothing more than a handle and a broken hilt, with an inch of steel. Yammy's enraged expression dissolved to one of both anguish and abject fear as he understood that _Ira_, his release, his _resurrecion_, his true power, was now forever lost to him.

And still, Ichigo waited. As the sun drifted ever higher into the perpetual afternoon sky, it cast a long black shadow across the pit, and by default, across Yammy. Standing under the sun, Ichigo looked larger than life, a demon straight out of the ninth circle of hell, come to drag him back there.

"Kill him quickly, Kurosaki."

Halibel commanded with a nod, encouraging Ichigo to do what had to be done. In reality, the ex-shinigami needed very little encouragement from anyone. Ichigo _would _kill Yammy, that much was certain. All that remained to be decided where the methods to be used, or the length of time they would require. Halibel, simply wanted Yammy to die swiftly so that everyone could move on to the matter at hand. Escape was their top priority.

Nothing else mattered.

Nel averted her gaze as Yammy threw up his hand.

"N-No, wait, I surren-

The ghastly jaws of Ichigo's Hollow-mask opened one last time as a bright ball of red formed between its ivory teeth. He spat the cero out from his maw, the bright beam of energy tearing through the cloud of dust and demolishing what was left of Yammy Riyalgo, the attack blasting through the ground and into the forest level below. Grimmjow gave a low whistle of amusement. Rukia, gaped blankly at the scope of the destruction.

"Ichigo...

With a swift movement of his right hand, the hybrid dispelled his mask and calmly walked toward Halibel. As he approached them the black tattoo's vanished from his skin, fading with the chalk white color and hollow hole it had possessed not a moment the untrained eye, Ichigo was just a normal substitute Shinigami. But try as she might, Rukia could not purge that horrible image from her mind's eye. It was burned in her brain.

_Ichigo killed an enemy in cold blood._

But Ichigo would never do that! Every battle he'd fought, every enemy he'd ever faced, he'd never cut them down without remorse! Never! And now, even though he'd been goaded into it, he'd obliterated a defenseless enemy who'd been about to surrender! Granted, it might have been a trick, a ruse, some deception the espada had been planning in order to ensure his own escape, but _still!_With a sudden certainty, Rukia grew pale.

_'Impossible...it can't be..._

"Well done, Kurosaki." Halibel permitted herself a small smile when Ichigo came within speaking range. "Yammy was a brute, and this world is better off without him." Either her words or her smile, perhaps even a combination of the two, seemed to fluster Ichigo intensely, evident by the sudden rosy hue of his cheeks and the sputtering 'You're Welcome', he weakly gave in response. Ulquiorra stiffened a bit at this, but stayed silent.

Halibel wasted no time in exploiting Ulquiorra's apparent silence to her advantage.

"Now, Kurosaki, I will open a garaganta-

"Ichigo...why did you just do that?"

Halibel frowned toward the petite Kuchiki, who'd just now gathered herself up to speak. The way she trembled slightly, that dull, bewildered look in those violet eyes was one she had seen many a time before, both in shinigami, and in hollow alike. This shinigami, distrustful of arrancar in general, had just witnessed her friend commite genocide before her very eyes, and did not know how to process the emotions that came with it.

The tercera espada suppressed a grimace.

This, was going to end badly.

"Huh?" Blinking, Ichigo pivoted in place to face Rukia, a look of complete and utter confusion adorning his visage. And at once, he knew something was wrong. It was the way Rukia looked at him, the way she drew back, flinched, ever so slightly, when he made a half step toward her. "What?"

"Why did you kill an enemy who'd already surrendered?"

"Oh." Relief flooded Ichigo's face as he stepped toward her. "Rukia, that Yammy guy wasn't _going _to surrender. If I'd given him the chance to surrender, he would've stabbed all of us in the back the second we took our eyes off him, you know that right?"

Apache opened her mouth to agree, but Halibel swiftly silenced her three fraccion with a stern glare and a shake of the head.

"Ichigo," Rukia shook her head slowly, very slowly, the black tresses of her hair bobbing back and forth with the motion."But you never _gave _him that chance to surrender, did you?"

"So now you're criticizing me?" Ichigo scowled, annoyed that he was being berated for something so simple. "Look Rukia, I don't regret finishing him off! That guy was worse than scum for what he did to Chad, Renji, and _you! _If we hadn't gotten here when we did-

"There you go again!" Rukia shrieked in exasperation, raising her voice as Ichigo raised his own. "Why is it suddenly we, we _WE _with you, Ichigo! Nel may be an exception but Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, Halibel...Ichigo, they've all tried to _kill _you Ichigo! They're arrancar! They're our enemies!"

"Rukia," Ichigo warned, his tone dropping into the sub-zero range. "Not another word. I'm not particularly fond of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra either, but I think we can give at least Halibel the benefit of the doubt. If you'd just hear me out I'd be able to explain-

"And why is that, Ichigo?" Rukia glanced up and down at Halibel, and then fixed Ichigo with a glare that suggested it would be most unwise to contine _that _line of conversation. "Tell me, just why should we give this _female _espada the benefit of the doubt, whereas Grimmow and Ulquiorra don't seem to deserve it?"

"You just said that you didn't trust them!"

"I think you can tell me why that is!"

"What? Now _you're _not making any sense!"

"I was being sarcastic! Kami damn it, y_ou're a murderer, Ichigo!"_

Rukia regretted the word's the instant they'd left her mouth. For Ichigo _stared _at her, his face crumpling into a heart wrenching expression of pain and sadness. Then it was gone, and his face twisted into something unrecognizable, unfathomable, as comprehension dawned upon him.

"Ichigo, I-

The one time vizard slapped her hand away with such force that Rukia actually gasped aloud in pain, before she'd recovered her self control. The vizard, however, jerked back as if he had been _burned_, torn between a snarl and a curse as he glared pleadingly into her amethyst eyes.

"Rukia,"

And then Halibel was there, seizing Ichigo from behind in a full nelson, just as he shot forward. Rukia skittered back as Tensa Zangetsu landed at her feet, whilst Ichigo groaned forlornly. He slumped in Halibel's grip, staring blankly into the sand at his feet as the enthusiasm left his eyes.

"So I'm a murderer then, Rukia? I kill one, one arrancar, _one enemy_, and that makes me a murderer?"

"No, that's not it!" Rukia gasped, rubbing at the bloody welt he'd given her, her hand came away crimson."There's a difference in being prepared to cut down one's enemies and killing without remorse! You didn't choose the former just now, Ichigo! _You killed that arrancar in cold blood!"_

"Quite frankly, I would disagree with that assessment." A stern, flat voice interjected. Seconds later, and with a soft swish of shunpo, a pair of stern, slate grey eyes appeared, their owner regarding the young wraith with cold, calculating precision as Ichigo took in his sudden appearance.

"B-Byakuya!"

The Noble gave no reply, though his gaze did shift to the right. Ichigo, wriggling out of Halibel's strangehold, followed the Kuchiki's line of sight, and felt the burning blood in his veins run cold. There, sitting upon a ruined rock, another shinigami sat, the upper half of his kimono gone, as though it had been torn clean off from the ragged hakama pants the soul reaper still wore. The bells in his jagged hair clinked softly with the wind.

Rukia swallowed once.

"That's-

"Just how long do you intend to sit there, Kenpachi Zaraki." Byakuya frowned toward the inert sculpture, who, still showing no signs of having heard him, refused to budge. Instead, Kenpachi slowly raised his head, staring pointedly at Ichigo with an all too familiar look in his eye.

"Yo, Ichigo."

"K-Kenpachi." Ichigo managed weakly around a dismayed grimace. For, even with all his new found might, mask, and abilities, the hulking captain of squad eleven still scared the living daylights out of Kurosaki Ichigo. Anyone who was willing to get himself killed for a good fight was certainly deserved a healthy level of respect, and fear. Well, mostly fear, considering the eleventh squad captain's tendency to lean toward violence.

"Pretty nice fight ya had there." Zaraki Kenpachi grinned broadly as he brought down his katana from his shoulder. Although he still bore multiple wounds, most of which had apparently been healed by someone skilled in medical kido, the bloodthirsty captain seemed no worse for the wear.

"And, it look's like you've gotten stronger. How 'bout we go a round or two?"

"Eeeeeeh...

"We'll have to decline." Ultimately, it was Halibel who saved Ichigo's bacon, stepping in before the boys' could set off the third spirt war."As enticing as watching two shinigami bludgeon each other to death would be, I'm afraid that we have more a pressing matter to discuss."

"Che." Zaraki snorted, just now noticing the quartet of arrancar. "How about one of you, then? You wanna go?" Glancing from espada to espada, there was no mistaking the hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Hell, I'll take all four of you on, if you wanna fight that badly."

"I'll have to pass." Nel repiled with a small smile. "But thank you for the offer, shinigami."

Grimmjow looked as if he were about to take Zaraki up on his offer, but once again, a swift glare from Halibel silenced him. Fuming, the sexta espada jammed Pantera back into its scabbard and sulked. Halibel folded her arms sternly, reaffirming her stance on the matter.

"Whaddya ya know?" Kenpachi suddenly grinned as he noticed Ulquiorra's tattoo, exposed by the recent tear in the arrancar's jacket. "Number four? That means you've gotta be pretty high up there in the rankings then, aint'cha, espada? Feel like takin' me on?"

_"Quite." _Ulquiorra replied tersely, thumbing the hilt of his katana, ignoring the intense glare this earned him from Halibel. "But I haven't the time to waste on scum like you, shinigami. As my companion previously stated, we haven't the time for you and your ilk." Kenpachi chuckled darkly at the remark, straightening up to his full height and rolling his shoulders lazily."Is that so? Well, then we've got a problem. See, my sword's been getting real rusty, since I haven't used it in a while. Yeah, and my muscles have been awfully sore too. So sore in fact, that I'm having trouble...

...Gripping my zanpakuto!"

_"Danku."_

Byakuya declared the kido spell softly, so softly, that Ichigo and the other's were quite speechless when a thick barrier erupted between them and the rapidly descending blade. With a dull _thwack_, Kenpachi's blade rebounded, the force of which casued him to stagger back half a step.

"Nii-sama..."Rukia breathed wordlessly.

_"What the hell?"_Glancing at his blade, then over his shoulder at Byakuya, Zaraki frowned, coming about to fully face his fellow captain. "Oi, Kuchiki Byakuya, you tryin' to piss me off?"

"I would ask that you refrain from attacking our allies, Kenpachi Zaraki." With a flick of his wrist, the bakudo spell shattered, spraying crystalline shards across the sands as they were caught in a gentle breeze. "Though they are indeed hollow, we may require their assistance in the future."

"I don't care about any of that shit."

"I do not recall asking for your opinion on the matter." With nary a sigh, Byakuya reached to the katana sheathed at his hip, his thumb unlocking the blade from its confinement. It was a deliberate gesture, an all too obvious threat that warned of what would happen should the discussion deteriorate further. On a sensible shinigami, it may have succeeded. Sadly, Kenpachi Zaraki was not the sensible type, and was only riled further.

"Oh?" With a toothy grin, Kenpachi lowered his blade. "Now you wanna fight me, huh?" As he spoke, the blinding flare of his reaitsu became increasingly evident. "Fine, I've always wanted to have a go at you, Kuchiki Byakuya!" No sooner had _he _finished, then Byakuya had finished.

Finished the incantation, that is.

"Bakudo Sixty Three: Sajo Sabaku."

His narrowed eyes eyes flew open in shock as the golden length of chain materialized from nothingness and surrounded his body, the _kidou _links tightening around his torso like a python constricting a large rat. Instead of dismay, the hulking captain only laughed, for the cords had already begun to dissolved under the pressur of his reaitsu

"This ain't gonna hold me!"

"Bakudo Ninety Nine Part two: Byakuya said calmly as Kenpachi stopped struggling against his bindings, his stone grey eyes widening at the spell that was being summoned.

_"Kin."_

The twin tethers of black sprung forward at him out of nowhere, slithering along the dunes like a pair of vipers approaching their unassuming prey. They quickly slipped up his legs, wrapping themselves around his thighs as they continued their ascent. When the two lines reached his neck, they wrapped around his throat before crisscrossing and darting forward as a set of iron pegs slammed into them. Zaraki was quickly yanked downwards, the sudden pull thrusting him face first into the sand. All of this occurred within an instant, the impromtu battle had ended.

"Oi, what the hell is with this prissy kido shit!"

Byakuya ignored Zaraki's vehement protests, calmly stepping around the squirming captain. Without a word, he stepped toward Ichigo, katana still drawn and obviously meant to be used. When at last he chose to speak, there was but the faintest trace of a smile somewhere in his eyes.

He sheathed his sword.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I believe you and your...allies have somewhere to be." Byakuya gazed pointedly at Halibel, making it all too clear that, although he was allowing them to pass, he still did not trust her. In that shared glance, he made pointedly clear that he was aware of her intentions.

Whether he doubted or trusted in them, remained to be determined.

He stepped aside.

"Go then, espada. Lead Kurosaki Ichigo to Karakura Town and victory. Until you do so, Rukia and I will remain here to deal with this riff-raff. And when you return, arrancar, we will be enemies once more."

Halibel nodded.

_'Well said, shinigami.'_

"Apache, Sun Sun, Mila Rose."

"Halibel-sama?"

"Open the-

"One moment please, espada-san."

Yet again, Halibel turned, her teal gaze narrowing slightly as another shikakusho clad figure appeared on a small clif to their white. Her bright blue eyes bellied her pleasant smile, and her hair was oddly braided to hang before her chest. The white haori confirmed that she was a captain.

"Unohanna Retsu." Byakuya stated calmly, and without the disapproving tone he'd held when addressing Kenpachi. Now, he adopted a slightly perplexed tone in place of the latter. "Why have you come to this area? I am perfectly capable of handling this situation without assistance."

"I understand your sentiments entirely." The captain of squad four smiled pleasantly, without even the faintest trace of anger. "Which is why I am leaving Isane in your care while I am away." Her decision went strangely unquestioned by the sixth squad captain, who nodded mutely as Unohanna's lieutenant returned her captain's sword with a stammering affirmation and leapt down to join her superior as per ordered.

"Pardon me, captain." Nel began politely. "You make it sound as if-

"What the hell do you want, shinigami?" Grimmjow put in bluntly, in no mood for small talk. Instead of becoming angry or tense, as most shinigami would, Unohanna Retsu favored the espada with another gentle smile. Taken aback by this, Grimmjow could only glower at her simple reply:

"Why, I have come to accompany Kurosaki-san of course.

"Huh?" Ichigo blinked. "Unohanna-san, I don't think-

"We do not require your assitance, captain." Ulquiorra interjected coldly. "If anything your prescence will only further dealy us-

"It was not a suggestion, espada-san." Unohanna replied warmly, interrupting the _quarta _espada. She gave no sign of hostility, but Ulquiorra suddenly seemed to be much paler than he usually was. The arrancar clenched his jaw, and suddenly turned away from her unassuming stare, looking as if he had stared into the face of death itself. Sliding her nodachi's tether across one shoulder, Unohanna turned toward Halibel.

"Shall we depart, then, espada-san?"

Without even bothering to give the order herself, Halibel tapped at the empty air with a gloved finger. At once, the blue sky tore itself open, exposing parting teeth as a black maw to nothingness opened before them. Clearly impatient after having been interrupted so many times, she provided herself with a swift glance across her surroundings, frowning now as Kenpachi began to break free of his bindings. He was no threat.

Ichigo flinched away when her gaze found his. There was hesitation there, in the mismatching pools of his eyes, and Halibel knew without asking, the source of it. Clearly Rukia's accusation had shaken him, perhaps more than she would ever know. But weakness now, such as this regret was something they could not afford. For this battle, Kurosaki Ichigo had to be at his best, or they were all doomed to failure. She _needed _him to be at his best, or everything, all that she had worked for, all of her carefully laid plans, all of it, would come crashing down. And everyone would die.

_He would die._

Unacceptable. Her very being recoiled from the thought, burning as though it were the deadliest poison. No matter how well she prepared, there would be losses in this battle. There were always casualties in war. Death was very real, and a constant companion on the battlefield. She understood all this, and accepted it, just as she accepted the Iron Law of Battle. The possibility of _his _death, however marginal, was a source of grief for her. It could not, would not be tolerated. Weakness on her part, perhaps, but Halibel Tia simply did not want Kurosaki Ichigo to die.

"Kurosaki."

The once human, once shinigami, once vizard, the first and possibly last of an entirely new breed of being, stiffened noticeably. A small part of her felt disgust at such a sight. That one so young, would be thrust into a battle of this magnitude, the will of the Fates remained simply beyond her.

Halibel directed a small amount of killer intent towards Rukia, who had opted to remain behind. The petite shinigami flinched under the pressure, but refused to look Halibel in the eye, for fear of what she might find there. Oh, and she was right to fear. She had every right to fear for her very life, for at this moment, Halibel was sorely tempted to remove the Kuchiki's head from her shoulders, on the matter of principle, if not anger.

Curse that shinigami for poisoning his resolve! Had Kuchiki Rukia merely kept her pathetic values and short sighted morals to herself, then Halibel would not be forced to go to such lengths in order to preserve such a valuable asset. She was forced to do so now, to come out of her depth, to step out of her well preserved sphere of carefully planned schemes and well designed formulas. She was entering into treacherous territory for the third time today. The slightest misstep would spell her doom, and that of countless other's. Perfection was demanded of her now, required.

With one boot in the garaganta, and the other on solid ground, Halibel turned toward Ichigo, who was ascending the dune a ways below her, yet close enough to be within earshot. Aware of her stare, he looked up, at the cusp of ascending the mound of sand and entering the garaganta.

Halibel weighed the cost of her decision before she acted. Leaning forward, she allowed her hand to briefly cup his cheek, ensuring that he would only focus on _her_, and not the incessant bickering of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra from below. The youth stiffened, a small shudder shaking his frame.

"Oi...

Halibel allowed herself a brief moment of satisfaction, and was glad that her collar was there to hide the smirk she wore. She took no pleasure of having him in her thrall, but at times such as these, it was quite a useful ability she possessed. She had achieved the desired affect with ease.

"I will protect you."

Slowly, Halibel took his hand and pulled him forward. Ichigo stumbled as his feet cleared the sand of Hueco Muendo, and then he was free of that realm, and suspended in the darkness. Standing upon empty air, kept aloft only by the currents of his own reaitsu, mingled with Halibel's.

"I will not allow you to die today, Kurosaki." Halibel continued slowly, her collar falling flat as a sharp breeze, a by product of opening such a powerful rift in the dimensions, tore through the two of them without warning and exposed her visage. "I will safeguard your life, with my own."

Ichigo did not speak, but the expression he wore demanded an answer. _Why_, it asked, was all this happening? _Why_, was she, an espada, an enemy, going to such lengths to preserve his safety? _Why_, had he been brought back from the dead twice now, when he could have easily been left for dead? _Why_, did she protect him so vehemently? _Why_, was she so determined to betray her own comrades, to leade him back to Karakura Town? And why, oh _why_, were Halibel's eyes suddenly moist with unshed tears? That question, superceded all the other's, consuming him.

Halibel was equally baffled by this phenomenon. She was not sad. Far from it, she was _elated_, overjoyed that her long time goal of overthrowing Aizen was finally about to come to fruition. But these were not tears of joy, of that too, she was certain. What, then, were they?She did not know.

_"Do not die."_ Halibel whispered suddenly, gripping his hands with unusual fervor. "Kurosaki Ichigo."

_That _had not been part of the plan.

"I...I won't." He managed weakly, uncertain, unsure, of what else to say."Die, that is."

"Good."

Abruptly, Halibel drew away from him,in control of herself once more. "Then it is finally time for you to understand the entirety of what you are. As I said before, you are now neither human nor soul reaper, neither vizard or even Quincy. Do not assume you are all of them, for you are not."

"You are, what I am. Or rather, what I _was_, prior to my death. Your race is old, Ichigo, older than even head captain Yamamoto. We have existed for many a century, and were hunted to near extinction in the last one ago. A millenia is but a raindrop in the ocean of life for us. We are _ancient."_

...That's old." Ichigo supplied numbly.

"Yes." Halibel nodded sagely. "Tell me, do you know why it is that you have a sudden taste for blood? Or that I gave you mine in order to secure your ressurection, your transcendence into a higher state of existence? Listen well, Kurosaki, for though you will always maintain all your abilities as a shinigami and a vizard, you are neither, and you may never will be considered one for the rest of your days, no matter how long you live."

"You make it sound like I'm some kind of god."

"More or less, you are." Halibel assented. "You, are the pinnacle of existence that Aizen has been struggling to reach ever since he first concocted his twisted schemes. And still, he is nowhere near attaining the true powers of the Old Race than he was in the beginning. _You have,_ Kurosaki Ichigo, though you may still yet struggle to unlock and control them. But they will come, with time and training, provided you don't die of thirst."

Ichigo had felt himself beginning to grow cold as the conversation became more and more archane. Now, it was as if he were frozen. He wanted Halibel to stop, but he couldn't find the strength to tell her to do so. He was morbidly fascinated by it all, as his secrets were unraveled for him.

"Oh, yes, your sudden fascination with blood?" Halibel held up a finger. "You must consume it, in whatsoever form you choose, to survive. You needn't worry, food and drink will still sate your body, but your soul, your soul must forever consume crimson to survive. If you do not, you will die a slow and painful death of starvation. And before you ask, no, the myth's of sunlight, steak through the heart, and crucifixes, do not apply. You must be torn into pieces and then have every single piece burned under an intense flame, to truly be killed. Thankfully, none know this secret."

Ichigo finally, he found his voice.

"Wait...so you made me...a...

Halibel smiled them exposing razor sharp teeth.

"Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki. You. Are. A. Vampire."

Whatever Ichigo had been about to say next, was lost, as the Garaganta snapped shut behind them.

**A/N: ****HAHA! Never saw that coming, did we? I'll be starting classes again soon, so i'll try to keep everything updated, those stories that I'm not giving away, that is. Here, however, is a precursory list for what I am giving away at the moment. It's not a full list yet, but these are the choice few that I am most eager to leave to my most favorite reviewers. You know the deal, PM me if you want to adopt said story, your reasons why, and where you plan to go with it.**

**With every chapter henceforth, I will add stories to the list. Note that, some, but not ALL of my stories will be given away. Those that are complete will remain as such, and a cherished few I will keep with intention to finish, _Curiosity, My Purpose, Treason, Starting Over_, etc.**

**Ja ne!**

**_A Helping Hand_**  
_Rukia decides she should help Ichigo with his training. The problem is, not only does Ichigo not want her help, but he isn't exactly sure if her idea of training is actual work, or torture! Does he really need this much training! IchigoxRukia. Fluff. **CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION.**_

**Be Careful What You Wish For **  
_Naruto's had enough of Sasuke. Not thinking of the consequences, he makes a wish on a shooting star... Naruto harem consiting of Sakura, Haku, and POSSIBLY Ino!**CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION.**_

**Confidence! **  
_Naruto's back! And Hinata's dying to see him, wanting to tell him her true feelings for him, that she has kept hidden for so very long...NaruxHina! My FAVORITE Pairing.**CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION.**_

**Forbidden Passion **  
_This is wrong, he tells himself. They shouldn't be doing this. He is a captain, she is an arrancar. They are at war, they are on opposite sides, yet why do these feelings persist! Massive Bleach x-over NaruxYoruichi, get ready to cry...**CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION.**_

**I Am the King! **  
_Struck down by Ulquiorra, Ichigo survives, though at a terrible cost. Succumbing to the darkness within his soul, he loses his humanity. Now, changed forevermore, who could possibly love the monster he's become? Fluff, angst, romance, spoilers. Ichihime. **CURRENTLY UP FOR ADOPTION.**_


	14. Daze of Lust IV

**A/N: Well, hello! It's been a long two years since I've touched this story. Much has happened much has changed, and my writing skills have improved immeasurably since then. But before we step back into the story, I thought I'd clarify a few things. First, and I'm only going to say this once: Ichigo is NOT one of thos shitty twilight vampires that sparkle in the sunlight. He. Is. Not! Sunlight + Ichigo = painful firery death. His strength equated the time he can stand under the sun and no, won't die right away but he WILL burn beneath sunlight, hell, he'll even be weaker during the day which may become a major crux when he's in the living world. Obviously he'd feel more at home in Hueco Muendo, but Soul Society? I'm not entirely sure how to clarify that. I mean, they have the sun too, but would it be any different than that of the human world? Also, after further thought that bit of a vampire having to be torn to pieces like the Twilight vamps? THAT IS OUT. This fic shall not be associated with Twilight in the slightest!**

**I apologize for the miscommunication in the last chapter and would appreciate your thoughs on that matter, my friends. One last thing, before we begin: I'm growing rather weary of hearing from all these anonymous reviewers flaming me for not updating my older stories while constantly writing new nones. Proved you wrong, didn't I? Now, with that being said, let us brush off two years of dust and step once more...**

**...into the pages of Curiousity!**

_"This...is going to take some getting used to..._

_~Kurosaki Ichigo._

_**Daze of Lust IV**_

_You are a vampire._

Whatever Ichigo had been about to say in response to Halibel's statement, was subsuquently swallowed as Halibel's garaganta snapped shut behind them. Halibel did not have such fortune. The youth's yowl of disbelief tore through their ears like the cry of a _menos grande, _subsuquently leaving her, alongside most of the party, deafened and dumb.

**"YOU MADE ME A FREAKIN' VAMPIRE?!"** he exclaimed aghast, gawping at the mocha-skinned arrancar. "How could you?!"

"Would you rather I let you die?" Halibel asked archly.

"Well, no...but still!"

Ichigo faltered, his fury flickering beneath the starrk reality of her words. Because Halibel spoke the truth. Had she refused him her blood in Hueco Muendo, had she not poured her own power into him, he'd surely have perished at Ulquiorra's hands. It certainly didn't help that said arrancar stood only a few feet from him! With that realization he was suddenly tempted to push the hollow from the reaitsu path upon which they stood; to cast him into the darkness and have him be lost forever. He wasn't the least bit sorry for what he'd done, for what he'd made _her_ do to _him!_

"Ichigo, its alright." Neliel soothed, tenderly touching a hand to the quivering hybrid's cheek. "We understand." She whispered softly. "You didn't ask for this. Any of this...

"Nel...

A harsh laugh cut off whatever else he might've said.

"This is freaking hilarious!" Grimmjow guffawed, clutching at his gut in a vain attempt to stifle his mirth. "So are ya gonna sparkle in the sun, too, Kuorsaki?!" He couldn't constrain his glee, even as Halibel and Ulquiorra pinnioned him on their combined gaze. The _Tercera_ and _Quarta_ espada silently shared their disdain, at the Sexta's superfluous outburst, but he continued to snicker nonetheless. It was only when he sensed a unfamiliar aura of doom that the azure-haired espada finally realized his own peril; what with being surrounded by a vizard, an irate captainess and three arrancar, _each of whom were several times stronger than him._

"Espada-san," Unohana smiled softly, her voice breaking the silence left by his own dread. "Would you kindly be quiet?"

For a moment-a very brief moment-Ichigo considered warning the azure-haired espada about the horrors that was Unohana Retsu. Reconsidering, the fact; a slow, vindictive smile stole its way over his face. Why should he warn him? And as made evident by the ever-throbbing vein visible in the arrancar's jaw, he was about to get his wish. _Payback's a bitch, Grimmjow... _

"Why the hell should I listen to you, shinigami?!" Grimmjow growled, his own fury returning with the force of a raging tempest. "Come to think of it...why did we bring your sorry ass with us anyway?! In fact..." _Pantera_ flew free from her sheathe with a mournful howl; it tapered tip screaming down at her head before anyone could think to stop him. "Why don't you do us all a favor and disappear!"

"Grimmjow!" Neliel cried! "What are you doing?!"

_Clink._

Blue eyes bulged as the _zanpaktou_ found itself stopped, trapped, wedged firmly against a single finger. Grimmjow balked as that single finger clicked over the blade, a holdfast preventing him from extricating the blade out of her grasp. What's more, he could feel the reaitsu behind her hold, and it chilled him to the bone. No way! How could someone_-let alone a soul reaper-_be this friggin' strong?! It was almost as if she were stronger than Aizen! At that very moment he half-expected a sword through the throat for his

"I think that's enough for today, espada-san." Unohana's mellifluous word wafted over him like a cool breeze, her pleasant smile and expression never wavering in the slightest. "We wouldn't want you to injure yourself before the battle now, would we?" Grimmjow opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. He had the strangest sensation in his chest, right where his heart ought to be. It was...fear? No, that wasn't quite right. He supposed it was more akin to admiration. Not fear, not respect, but admiration. This shinigami...she knew the rules of badassery to a T! Unflinching in the face of danger, of his anger...

"Che." He ripped Pantera away from her_-rather, she allowed him to-_and slammed it back into the sheathe. "She's got a point...I guess. But I sure as hell ain't following no sparkly ass vampire!"

"There will be no sparkling." Halibel deadpanned severely. "Sunlight is _harmful_ to me and my kind, and as I pointed out earlier, we do not glitter when we burn to ash. As _I_ possess the body of an arrrancar, however, it poses little threat to me at present. Although...

All eyes fell upon Kursoaki.

"Eh?"

"We're going to have to do something about you." She turned towards him with intent. "Kurosaki Ichigo, I ask that you stay still. Very still."

"Oi oi oi!" Ichigo stepped backward nearly falling off the reiatsu path in his haste to escape. "What're you going to do?" Halibel's hand secured him by the head, holding fast to his face, lest he fall. Even as he struggled, he felt a pair of arms secure him from behind, locking around his shoulders in a full nelson. _Nel?!_ Ichigo thrashed in surprise, but to no avail. The _terceira's_ strength was far greater than his own, and he'd yet to recover his reiatsu. He wanted to buck, needed to break free. Instead he stood rooted upon the trail of reishi as Halibel cupped his cheek in her hand; her fingers holding an infinite gentleness, her eyes boring deep intently into his own.

"Do not worry." She whispered, her teeth brushing at the nape of his neck. "I will not allow you to die."

Ichigo balked.

"It's not dying that I'm worried about-

"Is that so?" Halibel blinked her surprise, momentarily drawing back from the vein to look him square int he eye. "That is good to know."

"Eh?"

"If you do not fear death, than I no longer have any reservations about doing this."

_"EH?!"_

"We'll take good care of your body." Unohana reassured him calmly. "Be sure to knock some sense into your self."

"Whaddya mean by-

Before Ichigo could protest further, Halibel's fangs plunged into his neck. Her lips cupped his skin, not draining him of his blood strength, but rather, burgeoning it. Ichigo froze, motionless and powerless as raw reaitsu poured into his soul. And then there was pain. Raw, agonizing pain. Fire in his veins and lava in his blood. It was excruciating. Heart-wrenching. Oh. Right. He didn't have a heart, not anymore. The first time he'd been exposed to her powers he'd been_-thankfully-_unconcsious; his soul dangling at the preipiece between worlds, hanging between life and of death. This time was different. _This time Kursoaki Ichigo was concsious._ He was acutely aware of the changes taking place in his body, of her power, her very essence coursing through his veins. He'd never been lent this much strength at one time before even by Zangetsu. Hell, he felt like he could conquer the world!

**"Ha!"** An eerie familiar voice cackled in his head. **"That's more like it, king! Good to see some ambition out of ya!"**

Brown eyes flew wide open.

Kurosaki needn't have looked but he did so anyway, flinging a glance over his shoulder; alarmed to find his world subemerged in water. Bubbles burgeoned past his lips engorging the soaked skyscrapers with life-giving and unneccesary oxygen. It was a mistake. Scarce had he spared his attention for his surroundings than he found a massive blade careening toward his head!

_Shit!_

Zangetsu lurched from its wrappings, its ascent not at all slowed by the ocean's embrace. Black met white, two giant cleavers crashing againstone another with gusto. Ichigo nearly lost his grip on the tang when he saw his attacker's face; nearly lost the battle outright as his opponent strove against him.

Ichigo's other half, his hollow half, sneered back at him. Gone was the pitch black of the garaganta. Gone were the faces of his comrades; of Halibel of Neliel, of Unohanna, replaced by a bone white visage he had come to fear and dread over the last year. Golden black eyes blazed back into his own, cruel white teeth arching upward in an arrogant affront to his pride. Garbed in white, standing in stark contrast to his black, the ghoulish spectre leveled a bone white finger and pressed it into his chest in silent accusation. Ichigo felt a cold current whip through his body, his brown eyes bulging as a swirl of shadow sizzled at his chest.

**"_Cero."_**

The deadly doom blast roared forward and tore against Ichigo's body. The attack had been too close for him to block, much less avoid; he had no choice but to take the strike directly to his chest. He flew back in agony as the bright wave ripped at his face and chest, his _shihakusho _burning away from his flesh, the sleeves of his black _kimono_ sizzling from the heat. The blast seemed to last for aeons, before blowing past him as gravity took over, his body spiraling towards the skyscrapers limply.

He hit the street with a thud, his limbs trembling slightly as _Zangetsu _struggled to support his weight itself within his hand. He immediately struggled to rise, jabbing the tip of his zanpakuto into the ground and forcing himself up from his back. He had to get up. Had to stand up, had to-

**"Bankai."**

The bone-white spectre appeared before him with a buzz, immediately slamming the now deadly white daito down at the prone vizard. Ichigo growled in rage and pain and frustration, as the massive cleaver shrank into the fearsome form of it second release and slammed into his unprepared hand, pinning the still-twitching limb to the floor against the deserted ciity streets. floor. The doppleganger peered down at him with emotionless eyes its golden-black orbs completely calm in the face of Kurosaki's fury.

"You..." He gasped, his chest rising and falling harsly as he struggled for breath. "I though I got rid of you!"

The hollow cackled cruelly.

_**"Fraid not, partner." **_It pushed the blade deeper into the wound, eager to end their rematch._**"Looks like I get to be king this time."**_

_No!_

Cold fury burned the world white. Pain burned _through_ that white as Ichigo tore his hand free from the pinnioing pole, staining the waters crimson with the effort. Uncaring for the gaping orifice adjouring the length of is palm, he reached for the weapon. Broken fingers grasped, fumbled, _touched_ the white blade, burnishin the pristine steel with a bloody smear for the faintest instant. The hollow jerked back as if it'd been _burned,_ golden eyes wide as it ripped itsself and its weapon away; flinging both backwards, skipping in retreat in recompense for this sudden temerity.

Ceasing its maddened glower at the sinister stain of shadow etched into the steel's surface, the hollow curiously regarded its once fallen opponent. A look of irritation crossed the its golden eyes as it regarded the slowly recovering Shinigami before him. Shadow and flame burgeoned the depths between them, engorging the boy's aggrieved muscles with renewed power as he stood, woodenly. He swung the now released black _bankai_ in a perfunctory slice, severing the waters that stood between them.

**"Stubborn bastard."** It growled. **"Looks like you've managed to find a bit of resolve this time." **

If Ichigo was at all fazed by the hollow's outburst, he did little to show it.

"Why are you here again?" He demanded, the black flames of his bankai flickering briefly as his shihakusho formed. "Where's old man Zangetsu?"

_"I am here, Ichigo."_

Brown eyes snapped to the right, alarmed to find themselves face to face with a far younger version of the grizzled zanpakutou standing several feet away. Severe and stern, the bankai form of his sword stared back at him, those cold blue orbs betraying nothing, not even concern.

"O-Old man Zangetsu?"

"No."

"Ah?"

_"I am **Tensa** Zangetsu."_

Ichigo reeled in surprise.

"That's right, you've never come to your mindscape while in Bankai, have you?"

**"Oi oi oi!"** Hichigo growled sullenlly. **"This chapter ain't about you, idiot! It's about me!"** He grinned roughly, levelling his blade at the current king._**"I told ya , didn't I, Ichigo? If ya want to learn ta master my powers...**_

He flung himself forward!

_**...then ya ain't allowed ta die!"**_

**A/N: ****Well, Imma back! Hollow Ichigo returns! ****And in the latest news of Bleach...NO! WE LOST OLD MAN YAMMA! NOOOOOOO! Friggin Vandenreich! I hope Ichigo kicks your asses to kingdom come and then some! ****I know this chapter is painfully short, and for that, I apologize. It's been two years since I've touched this fic, but a recent review spurred me to start writing this again. I hope you enjoyed the hint of GrimmjowxRetsu (now ain't that a crack pairing) I left for ya'll. But anyway, back to the review that spurred me to start writing this story again. I****ronic, isn't it? Words have power; you never now just how they might inspire you. Speaking of prhases...Halibel, if you would so kindly?**

**Halibel: Oh, very well *ahem*...**

**...REVIEW OR I'LL BITE YOU.**

**Nz: On second thought...Halibel-san?**

**H: Yes? **

**Nz: I think some of the readers might actually ENJOY being bitten by you heywhyarelookingatmelikethat -**

**H: *Bite!***

**Nz: Whahayah?!**

**H: You were saying?**

**Nz:...Halibel-sama knows best.**

**Now, a preview of the battle against Aizen coming up in the next chapter! **

_Preview:_

_"Starrk...Barragan...Halibel...come!_

_Even as he issued the orders for his three elite espada and their fraccion to appear, he was curtailed. A deep, sonorous roar sundered the air, taking shape as a single, massive garaganta, the giant maw of black teeth splitting open to expose itself on the side of the Soul Society's forces. Gathered within, Kurosaki held a small army of his own, flanked by the former and current Tercera, alongside Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. The former wore a shit-eating grin of the most massive sort. Sneering, he unsheathed his zanpakutou and pointed it toward the aspiring god, the one man he wanted to kill more than anyone else, including the hyrbid at his back._

_"Oi! Aizen!" He bellowed, unsheathing his sword. "Consider this my letter of resignation! I friggin' quit!"_

_"I respectfully resign as well." Ulquiorra drew his own blade._

_"I never really liked you, either." Neliel stated politely as possible, slipping Gamuza free from its sheathe._

_Aizen sweatdropped. How had he not seen this coming? He turned to find Starrk and Barragan at his back, both espada-as well as their fracccion-each wearing their own gobsmacked expression._

_"This...was not part of my plan."_

_Yamamoto wasn't quite sure whether to incinerate these new arrivals or welcome them!_

**R&R! =D**


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